To Gaia, From Earth
by Mix Golden Phoenix
Summary: After Earth is destroyed, a fighter pilot and her best friend are thrust through time and space to a different planet called Gaia. Come to think of it, are they so different? Takes place during BC&CC. SI/Self-insertion. Very strong language.
1. The Comet

**A/N: This is a prologue. Its entire purpose is to show you how my friend and I get from Point A to Point B. So, there is no FFVII-ness in this particular 'chapter'. But, if you can tough this one out, I can guarantee you the next one will ;). Also, this is an alternate Earth where Final Fantasy does not exist. Terrifying, I know.**

_**Edited on 17 Sept 2010 for grammar and sucky goofs.**_

The cool wind blew my hair gently as I stared up at the sky with dull eyes. Even the wind seemed dead—just like the majority of the planet. I bent down and picked up a handful of dust. It slipped slowly through my fingers, my gloves turning a slight red color. The ground crunched behind me as Ronnie walked up to me.

"Terrifying, isn't it?" He asked as he looked up at the sky.

I looked back at him, then up at the object that held his attention.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is..."

December 21, 2012.

Doom's Day.

The End.

Staring back at us was a destroyer of worlds. The biggest threat to all life. The Comet. It was hurtling at Earth at speeds unimaginable. It brought with it not only the destruction of life as we knew it, but fear. A brilliant man once said that all we had to fear was fear itself. At that moment, I felt that he was wrong. There was something else to fear out there and it was showing its ugly head, blazing tail following behind that.

"Never thought it would end this way," Ronnie said quietly.

"How could you not?" I joked. "The History Channel's been warning us for years."

He chuckled. It was nice to know that after all that had happened, we still had our sense of humor. No matter how warped it was.

"True."

I looked back at him. He hadn't changed much since we parted ways five years ago. I never wanted it to happen, but it had to. We needed to grow up. We needed to move on. We needed a life, a job, a family. At least, we thought we did. That was a long time ago. Before the human race showed just how far it could fall.

He stood wearing a standard F-22 flight suit I had found laying abandoned in the locker rooms of the base. His hair was longer than he used to keep it, but I was happy to see that it was still black. I had always wondered why he wanted to lighten his hair. His gray eyes locked onto mine when he noticed I was staring at him.

"What?"

I shook my head, "Nothing."

"Why aren't you with your family?" He asked me as I turned back to look up at the harbinger of death.

"Because most of them are dead, just like yours," I replied blankly.

Just like millions more.

"That's not what I meant. Why are you here? Why didn't you go to the shelters?"

"Same reason you didn't."

"I didn't because you didn't..."

I sighed. Ronnie had come because I had asked him to. I wondered if it was too late to tell him to go back; to hide away with everyone else; that my plan was stupid, foolish. A girl's last attempt to cling onto life.

"I read somewhere in Revelations that people would try to hide in the mountains, and that it wouldn't work. I guess if I'm going to die, I'd rather it be out here," I replied after a short pause.

"I thought you said you had a way to get away," Ronnie said.

He was frowning. I could sense it in his voice. I smiled sadly. It grew larger, happier. I turned around and faced him again. I hoped the smile reached my eyes.

"I said _if_ I'm going to die. I didn't say I was," I replied. Maybe I should have been an actress instead of a fighter pilot. No, I wouldn't have been there if I had been an actress.

Ronnie looked around the deserted air base. If there had been a tumbleweed, it would've blown across the pavement.

"Everything's so..._dead_," he remarked.

I didn't even bother to look around. I knew what the place looked like; what it had looked like.

"That's what happens when a war gets out of hand," I replied.

I took the ponytail holder I had around my wrist and pulled my hair into a loose bun. I had to make certain that it wouldn't fall down and get in the way when I put my helmet on later.

"Yeah, but...I didn't think it'd get _this_ out of hand," he said.

"No one did. Well, not everyone..." I replied. "Anyway, come on."

I turned to my right and began to walk towards my plane. It wasn't really _my_ plane, but I didn't think the pilot would mind if I borrowed his precious Raptor. I don't think the government would have minded either, given the circumstances.

"What? Did you think all this would happen?" Ronnie asked a sarcastic tinge in his voice.

"Yep. It was kind of obvious given the circumstances. And history does sort of repeat itself. That and everyone followed it along like a self-fulfilled prophecy. Granted, a self-fulfilled prophecy of death and destruction."

"Wow, that's…very pessimistic," Ronnie replied.

I snorted, "When haven't I been? I'm always right about the wrong things."

The plane was getting closer. I would have one more flight. One more flight before everything ended. And Ronnie would have it, too. I didn't think he knew what he was getting into when he agreed to come with me. I still don't. I figured because hadn't started screaming.

"Listen," I said. "You're not a fighter pilot, so I don't expect you to know everything about getting prepped. What you're wearing isn't all of it."

"I know. Isn't there some helmet I gotta wear?" He asked.

"Some helmet and some mask, yeah. Those are in the cockpit. I'll help you get sorted out when we get there."

"Okay."

And I did. Or, at least, I tried to. The poor boy didn't have a clue about what he was doing. I was surprised that he had managed to get dressed on his own. _I_ certainly didn't want to have to dress him. That would've been more than a little awkward. It took me a few minutes, but after a while both he and I were strapped down and ready to go.

"Can you tell me, again, why this mask is mandatory?" Ronnie's voice crackled in my ear.

I groaned a little as I situated myself in my seat. "To give you oxygen the higher up we go. Also, that's where the microphone is located..."

"Oh...So, I can't take it off?"

"No."

"...damn."

Ignoring the inexperienced "pilot," I started the plane. The engines came to life with that all too familiar whir. Growing up as a kid I always loved jets, and right at that moment, I couldn't have said the feeling had lessened with time.

"How long is this going to take?" Ronnie asked. "There _is_ a giant space rock hurtling towards us at God knows what speed..."

"Give it a minute," I replied checking all the LCD monitors that surrounded my half of the cockpit.

"That all? I thought it would take longer than that..." Ronnie said, clearly impressed.

"Modern technology," I replied.

After the plane was reading, I took hold of the control stick with my right hand and the throttle controls in my other, I eased the plane into position. I could feel Ronnie move about in the co-pilot seat.

"What are you doing?" my voice crackled through the microphone.

"I hate heights..." Ronnie mumbled.

"..."

"Seriously, you know how sick I used to get riding in cars."

"You're not throwing up in my plane."

"This is your plane?"

"No, but the threat still stands."

Ronnie didn't respond. I started the plane down the clear runway, and within a matter of moments, it was flying through the air over Tyndall Air Force Base. Ronnie whimpered as the G-forces pushed us back in our seats. His eyes were closed, I could tell. I smirked.

"How long is this going to take?" He asked.

I thought about it. "...a while."

"What do you mean 'a while'? Where are we going?"

"...Bermuda."

"Bermuda?" Ronnie exclaimed. "I don't think now's the best time to be having a vacation."

I laughed. The sound was hollow.

"...Well, whatever you have planned, it'd better work. Or, I better die very quickly because if I don't, I'll find some way to kill and/or haunt you."

**-VII-**

Ronnie groaned behind me. We had been flying for over an hour and I couldn't tell if he was groaning because he was bored, or from motion sickness. It probably was both. I let go of the control stick for a brief second to rotate my wrist then quickly returned it.

"Are we dead yet?" Ronnie's voice crackled through my headset.

"No...You wouldn't be talking if we were," I replied as I moved my head around to stretch it a little.

"Then, are we there yet?"

"No, but almost."

"This is by far the longest plane ride I've ever been on..."

"It's the third ride you've been on."

"True. But, I thought it would go by faster. We _are_ on a fighter jet after all." His mic crackled as he moved around a bit.

"Unlike the movie _Stealth_, I can't snap my fingers and be there within a matter of minutes," I said slightly agitated.

An uncomfortable silence passed between us. Then again, isn't all silence uncomfortable? After a minute I had had enough of the silence. _Say something, for the love of God, just say something!_ A shrill noise erupted throughout the cockpit, and if I hadn't been using my hands, I would've clasped them to my ears. Panic rose within me.

"What the hell is that?" Ronnie practically screamed in my ear.

I knew what it was. It was my radar. The pitch of the warning sound gets higher with severity so that it is able to get the attention of the pilot, and as long as I had been a fighter pilot, through training and real life scenarios, I had never heard it that loud. It was responding to a very large amount of radiation. Only one thing could be making it. I glanced at the radar screens. All of them showed the same, large, moving mass of radiation. All of them showed it headed straight at me from my six. If Ronnie hadn't been with me, I would've broken into tears right then and there.

"Sonya."

The way he had said my name told me everything. He knew what that sound meant.

"We're not going to make it, are we?" he asked.

We weren't going to make it. We were never going to make it. I knew that from the beginning. It was hopeless. Foolish. My last attempt to try and live. I had thought that maybe, just maybe, if I ran, I would live. Fight or flight response. I sure as hell couldn't fight The Comet, so I would fly—fly away from it. I thought that maybe if I was in the air instead of hiding in the ground like everyone else, that the impact wouldn't affect me as much. That it wouldn't be as severe. A foolish plan of a foolish girl. Fate is inevitable. I blinked away my tears.

"Hold on!" I said, my voice cracking for other reasons than the microphone.

I ignited the afterburners. The plane shot forward. Ronnie's scream mixed in with the incessant whine of the radar. I don't know where I thought I was going. Don't know why I continued to run. Don't know why I didn't just crash the plane into the sea and get it over with.

The radar continued to scream at me as I looked down to check it. The wall was closer, way closer, and it was quickly approaching the-point-of-no-return close. Ronnie screamed again. I looked up just in time to see what it was that he was screaming at.

I only caught a flash of it. A shimmering pool hovering in front of the plane...and then it was gone. Just like that it was gone and had been replaced with a-

"Mountain!" I screeched as I yanked up on the control stick.

The plane shot upward at an awful speed and the G-forces hit me like a ton of bricks. I tightened the muscles in my legs and abdomen to keep the blood from rushing down to them and away from my brain. The last thing I needed was to blackout. As quickly as I could, I leveled out the plane and slowed down. What I saw nearly made me faint anyway.

Lying out before me was a giant expanse of marsh, and beyond that was nothing but green fields it seemed. I had to struggle to keep my breathing regular. I was already shaking. I had to land. I needed to know if what I was seeing was really there, or if I was hallucinating before I died.

I slowed the plane down substantially and lowered it so that it was very near the wet ground. I would have to land on the grassy part beyond the marsh, but even that would be difficult. If I was going too fast and hit a big enough rock...I didn't want to know what would happen. Ronnie moaned behind me.

"I think...I passed out back there..." he said weakly.

Oops... I hadn't told him about what to do when faced with intense G-forces. Maybe I should have done that before we left.

"You'll be fine," I replied as I lowered the landing gear. I was almost near the end of the marsh.

"I'm dead...How am I fine?" Ronnie sounded drunk, or high, either one. I wouldn't have known.

"You're not dead. I'm not dead. _We're _not dead."

"Wait a minute, why did that noise stop?"

I wouldn't have thought about it if he hadn't have brought it up, but sure enough, the radar had stopped screaming at me. I didn't have time to check it and see if the shock wave from hell was still chasing my ass, but I was pretty sure it wasn't. I concentrated at the task at hand and braced myself for touchdown. The plane bounced off the ground more than once as I attempted to bring it to a stop, but after a few more times, the plane made contact, and it slowly slid to a stop.

The ground was real, which meant this was real. I was alive. Ronnie was alive. I didn't know where the hell I was, or when the hell I was. But I was somewhere else than in the path of total destruction, and I probably was the happiest person alive...If not one of the only two persons alive. I pushed that depressing thought aside and turned my attention to more important things: Finding out where we were.

**A/N: I am officially the Queen of Bullshit. The F-22 Raptor has no option for a two-seater/co-pilot cockpit. It takes hundreds of hours of flying in a simulator and in an F-16 to qualify for piloting such an expensive and advanced piece of equipment. However, for all purposes, I needed to bend the rules. Since this is an alternate reality, I'm just going to say someone thought of a co-pilot F-22, and get away with that 'oops'. As to why I didn't choose an aircraft that already had that capability…I have my reasons. Technological reasons. MOVING ON! I could not find a site to tell me the distance from Tyndall AFB to Bermuda. So, I utilized Google Maps and used that handy-dandy scale at the bottom to guesstimate. Note: When looking for a place, make sure you know where it's at. I half expected to find Atlantis before I found Bermuda. x.x. Oh, and I did find a little place called, "Welcome." -blinks- "Welcome to Welcome! =D"**

_**Edit: You do not want to know how many blunders were in this chapter. You just don't. And I made a trailer for this fan fic found here: http:/ www. youtube. com/ watch?v=zI-sLeg17pE Take out the spaces in the link and viola.**_


	2. Chocobos

**A/N: Well, I see you made it through Chapter 1 without gagging on your own vomit. Or, maybe you did and just decided to keep going because you're weird like that. There are a lot more words in this chapter because, unlike the first which was a prologue of sorts, this is actually meant to be a chapter in every sense of the word. Also, the title of this chapter says it all. You have been warned. Seriously… You. Have. Been. Warned.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot. I don't own Final Fantasy, Stargate, J.R.R. Tolkien, or even an F-22 Raptor. Though, if I did it would be parked outside in my backyard so I can stare at it all day, because I sure as hell can't fly one.**

_**Edited on 17 Sept 2010 for errors and goofs.**_

Tall mountains in the distance, lush swamp behind us, wide open plains in front of us...Toto, we were _not_ in Kansas anymore. In fact, I was pretty sure weren't even on Earth anymore. Maybe we really were dead.

I flinched and smacked the bug that had, so unfortunately, bit into my face. _Nope, still alive._ I looked back at Ronnie as he stood beside my plane, hands on his knees, head between them, as he tried to get his bearings. I never really understood why people always told others to put their head between their knees. The only thing that ever managed to make me do was get dizzy.

"You're not going to barf, are you?" I asked him. That was something I did not want to see.

"I'll get back to you on that," he grumbled.

So, there we were, standing in the middle of nowhere, with a giant hunk of machinery parked in a place it definitely did not belong. Talk about being conspicuous.

"Ignoring reality, science, and reason, I think we should get going," I said casually, switching my weight to the other leg.

Ronnie lifted his head up just enough to give me a look.

"Why?"

"Ok, continuing on with the _Twilight Zone_ scenarios, say we magically teleported to the past... I doubt they had F-22's way back when."

Ronnie didn't speak, telling me silently to go on.

"And," I continued, "if we magically teleported to another world, this baby," I jerked my thumb towards the plane, "is gonna stick out like a sore thumb."

"Why not the future? We coulda teleported to the future," Ronnie replied as he stood back up.

I blinked, "Because I think everything would be burnt to a crisp after that comet strike, don't you?"

Ronnie paused, "...it could be very far...into the future."

I stared at him.

"OK!" Ronnie gave in, "The past part I can understand us having to hide the plane, but another world? Wouldn't we have to hide ourselves, too? Unlike _Star Trek_, and _Star Wars, _and _Stargate_, not every alien species is going to be human. There could be freaking two-story tall, spider-like creatures inhabiting this world for all we know, and that's _if_ it's a different planet."

He did have a point there. As a race, humans had been spoiled into thinking everything out there was going to be like it, or at least heard of it. Because it was so awesomely bad ass. In real life, those chances were slim to none to ha-ha-you're-joking-right?

"Well, if there's life on this planet, other than plant life," which I thought was a good possibility, "and it's not human, then we'll just hide from them. But,_ this thing _can't move unless someone's moving_ it_, and seeing as how it's sitting out in the open right now, I think we should get going..."

"Don't you mean _you_ should get in _it _and get going?" Ronnie asked, a little on edge.

"No, I meant _we_."

"I am _not_ getting back in that plane."

"I am _not_ walking all the way back here for your ass after hiding the damn thing."

"You wouldn't have to. I'm pretty sure I could lose myself in this unknown world just as easily as you could, and do you even know where you're going to hide the thing?"

Again, he had a good point. I hadn't thought of where I was going to hide it. I guess I was planning on just circling around until I found a random cave, or something, and park it in there... Not much of a plan, really.

"...no," I replied deflating.

"Didn't think so."

"Even more of a reason to get going!" I exclaimed in, I'll admit, a very humiliating, childish manner.

Ronnie looked at me skeptically.

"That way I can scout out a place to hide the plane."

"Why don't you just hide it in the mountains?" Ronnie asked as he folded his arms.

I gave him a blank stare. Planes were not made like cars. They did not have special tires for different weather/road conditions. Their tires were specifically made to fit 'runway' conditions, and only 'runway' conditions. I highly doubted there was a runway in the mountains...

"You can't land a plane in the mountains!" I exclaimed.

"You landed it here!" Ronnie shot back.

"Out of sheer luck," I replied, "I'm still shocked I didn't plow into that mountain a while ago."

_Whoops... _The look Ronnie gave me told me that he thought I was actually in control during that situation. What he remembered before blacking out, and after, that is. Truth was, I had nearly wet myself up there, and I was _really_ surprised that the plane didn't slide upon landing, or even worse, hit a rock and tumble 'head over heels'. We probably wouldn't have survived if that had happened.

"Anyways," I continued quickly, "either way you look at it, the best choice is to take off. Walking, not flying. We can't just stay here. We have no food, or water, the swamp doesn't count, and without those things we'll croak. And it'll be a lot more painful and drawn out than it would have been if the comet had killed us."

Ronnie blinked, "More painful than a comet's fire wave of doom?"

"Yes, more painful than a comet's fire wave of doom. I think. The pangs of hunger might not be as severe, but they'll be more drawn out, giving the illusion that they're more painful..." I stopped as I realized I was rambling, and about nonsense, as well.

"Mm-hmm..."

That irritating noise was Ronnie's way of letting me know he didn't believe what I was saying, but knew it was futile to argue otherwise, and that he wasn't even going to try. I really hated that response. Almost about as much as his, 'Mk's

**-FFVII-**

If somebody came up to me right then and asked me how long I'd been walking, I wouldn't have been able to tell them, but it felt like _for-ev-er_. More than an hour—way more. Ronnie had already complained about how he'd never had to walk that far before in his life, including the times he had to walk from his house on Main Street to mine behind the school.

"My house _was_ behind the school."

"Not _behind,_ behind the school."

"Well, I didn't think you were going to walk!"

"I ran into _Stacey's_ house! ...and a mutant swan thingy attacked me!"

"Crane! It was a crane, and you shouldn't have been peeing in its creek to begin with."

That conversation quickly led Ronnie to admit he had to relieve himself. I twitched and slowly turned around to face him. He stared back at my blank expression.

"What?"

"You are not peeing near me..." I deadpanned.

"You don't have to look," he grumbled.

I was starting to remember all those times we had walked from the school to my house whenever Mom was late picking me up because she fell asleep in the chair, or those times we tried to make it to the soccer games on time, which all failed, by the way. Most of which Ronnie would bring up the same subject of having to go to the bathroom, and every time I would say something along the lines of:

"I don't care. I'll still hear it, and that's just disgusting. Plus, we're out in the open. Ew."

"But there's no one around for miles!" He exclaimed, then added, "'cept you..."

"Exactly," I replied turning back to face the 'path' we had been traveling on, "and I don't want to hear it. So you can wait."

I could feel Ronnie's pout. Don't ask me how, but I did.

"Fine," he mumbled, "but if I go in the suit, it's your fault."

I sighed and continued walking. Surely there had to be something here. Signs of life. Signs of civilization. Any-fucking-thing to point out that we were not alone on this planet. I was starting to understand those kooky scientists that stayed cooped up in those labs of NASA, searching for alien life on distant planets. What was that place called? SETI? I couldn't remember anymore. I grew out of that science fiction stuff when I joined the military.

Though, I had to admit, I _did_ think of trying to sneak into 'Area 51' on many occasions. Of course, I wasn't stationed anywhere near the Arizona desert, but I always thought of how cool it would be to get into a base that wasn't even 'there.'

I scoffed, probably making Ronnie look at me like I had lost my mind or something. Seriously, how fucked up could the government have been to deny a base that could _be seen from the fucking rocks around it_. And, if any poor civilians got close to the perimeter, they got chased by lovely, big, black helicopters. Nope. Definitely nothing there.

Of course, then I went and joined this same government's military. I considered myself so smart, and yet, I went and done a dumb thing like that. Brilliant, Sonya. Just brilliant. And now, you're walking on a foreign planet, with a friend you sorta-kinda-maybe kidnapped, and you have no frakin' clue where you're going, or even what you're going to do when you get there...wherever there is. _Briiilliiiant._

"Saan?"

"What?" I growled turning around to glare at Ronnie.

His eyes widened as he recoiled just a little.

"Geezus, grumpy much?" He said as he stopped walking.

I stopped as well. Giving him a blank look, I waited for him to say what he was going to say. I wasn't going to apologize for my outburst. I never apologized. He shouldn't have interrupted my inner monologue like that...

Ronnie waited a little longer, and when he realized I wasn't going to do whatever it was he thought I was going to do, he pointed in the direction we were headed.

"There's something over there..."

I looked over my shoulder, and sure enough, near the horizon there was a little speck. A tiny, little speck... I guessed that it was a building of some sort. It couldn't be a rock formation. This type of area was not fit for that kind of spontaneous, geological action; so, what else could it be? Yay! Civilization! ...hopefully.

"If I wasn't so lazy," I replied, "I'd run for it..."

Ronnie walked over to me, "So...it's a building?"

I looked at him, cocking my head to the side, "Yes. It's a building."

"So, that means there are people here."

"That means there are probably people-ish people here."

"And they have a bathroom."

I gave a chuckle. Way to lighten the mood there, Ronnie. Way to lighten the mood.

"Oh, yes, they _definitely_ have a bathroom," I replied sarcastically.

Ronnie nodded once, and looked at the path in front of us. Then he took off running. It seemed he _really_ had to go. Unfortunately, he was going ever farther from me, and there was no way in hell I was going to be able to catch up. I growled lowly. Damn him. And just after I had said that I didn't want to run...

"Yo!" I called after him, beginning to run myself. "Wait up!"

He either chose to ignore me and keep going, or he simply didn't hear me, because off he went. Mumbling to myself, I chased after him. Yes, we had just found life on a world besides Earth, which meant that somewhere in the afterlife the little scientists of SETI were throwing confetti because they had been _right_, but that did not mean we had to show up on said life's doorstep, all smiles, and demand to use their toilet. If they had a toilet. Scratch that. We did not even know what language these people-ish people spoke. For all I knew, they grunted and clicked and used body language.

I was left with these thoughts for quite a while as we made our way to the little building. Ronnie had only run for a few minutes before he had to stop from exhaustion. I could have gone a little further, thanks to that wonderful thing called training, but decided it a was a better idea to just walk the rest of the way. That, and as I have mentioned before, was a lazy ass. So sue me.

The little building, as we approached, turned out not to be such a little building. In fact, it had started to look more like a little house with a big barn off to the side, with what looked like some yellow things inside a fence in front of that. I wondered what strange animals these..._farmers_...had. They sure as hell were not cows. But, I pushed that thought aside and decided it best not to think of all the different kinds of animals that could be found on different worlds. There were millions of possibilities, and my poor, worn out brain just couldn't handle all the places it was trying to go. Apparently, I hadn't turned away from science fiction as much as I thought I had.

"They're giant chickens..." I said, halting to a stop.

We had come close enough that I could just make out what was inside the fence, and damn it if I didn't think I had gone insane.

"What?" Ronnie asked as he stopped a little ways in front of me.

"The things...in the fence...are giant chickens..." I reiterated looking at him.

Ronnie gave me a quizzical look, looked off in the direction of the farm, looked back at me. The farm. Me. The farm. Me.

"Okaaay?" He asked.

I blinked. So, my discovery really did not mean anything, and he was completely okay with the fact that this world's livestock was, in fact, giant chickens. Well, if he didn't care, I guess I didn't.

"Oh, nothing. I guess..." I replied beginning to walk again. "Just found it odd, that's all."

"Why? We're on a different planet. What's preventing the people of this world from being giant jelly blobs?" He asked.

I didn't even bother to respond to that, even though lots of numbers were running through my head at the odds of a string of beings that had DNA even similar to a chicken's—Oh, great, I was thinking about it anyway. Damn Discovery Channel.

_Eventually_, we reached the actual yard of the farm. Ronnie was staring at the strange birds as I dragged my feet towards the door of the little house.

"They're more like ostriches or emus," he said to me.

Again, I did not respond. I did not care. I wanted to drop and never move from that spot. Ever. I figured I could wait until I got to the "person's" doorstep. Maybe after I knocked on the door.

"What are you doing?" I heard Ronnie ask me.

I stopped and mechanically looked over my shoulder, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to knock on the door."

"What if they don't speak English?"

Now it occurs to him!

"Then you'll do the pee-pee dance, I'm sure they'll understand. I, on the other hand, will collapse from exhaustion," I replied.

Bringing my hand up, I knocked roughly on the little wooden door, cringing when I realized I had put way too much 'authority' behind it. I had sounded like a cop banging on your door to check if the neighbor's call was right and you were, indeed, in trouble. Ever heard that knock before? Well, I have. Anyways, it didn't take long, a few seconds maybe, for the door to open.

I could have shouted my praises to the Lord right then and there. A human had answered the door. Granted, it was an old man who was giving me this, "Who the heck are you?" look, but it was a human nonetheless. Hallelujah! Ronnie found his place beside me.

"Yes, what is it?" The old man asked us.

He speaks English! Oh my goodness! Our luck is amazing! Ronnie also noticed that this man was gifted with our language and quickly asked:

"Yes, can I use your bathroom?"

I slowly turned my head and looked at him. Way to jump to the point, there, Ronnie. Anything else you want to demand from this man? Perhaps a giant chicken for your meal? Maybe he had some freakish mashed potatoes he could have given you for a side dish.

The old man looked from me, to Ronnie, and to me again. He looked suspicious of us. That's when I noticed that, even if his clothes were relatively modern, they seemed a tad old and worn. We, on the other hand, were in brand new, spiffy-looking, fighter pilot suits. That was something I didn't want to have to explain.

"You're not with Shin-Ra?" The old man half-asked.

What the hell was Shin-Ra? The way he said it sounded like it was some group of some kind. He also didn't seem that happy with it. Well, we didn't want to upset the old man, now did we?

"Wha-?"

I slammed my foot down on Ronnie's, "No, we're not with Shin-Ra, we're just some travelers. Dodo over here forgot to use the bathroom before we left."

I jerked my thumb at Ronnie, who was now glaring at me. _Just shut up and take a backseat like you normally do, dude, I have this covered._

The old man immediately perked up, a grin spreading across his face, "Travelers! It's been a while since I've seen any, come in!"

He stepped aside and we walked into his house. It was a tad cramped, but other than that it had a nice homely feel to it. Kind of like most country houses do. I glanced into the kitchen and immediately regretted doing so. There were two little toddlers sitting at the table, both staring at us. I did not do well with kids. Oh, sure, they loved me. I, on the other hand, did not share such sentiments...especially when they _wouldn't stop staring at me._

Trying my best to ignore the little tykes, I watched as the old man pointed towards his bathroom. Ronnie thanked him and scuttled off. I smirked.

"Good luck getting the suit off," I called after him. I heard Ronnie groan before shutting the door.

The old man turned back to me, "Please, have a seat!"

He motioned towards his couch. I stared hesitantly at the faded, tan thing. I didn't like making myself comfortable in other people's homes unless I knew them well enough. I did not know this old man. But, the way he kept grinning at me expectantly made me decide to humor him and just sit my ass down. So, I did.

"You say you're travelers. Did you come to buy one of my Chocobos?" The old man asked excitedly.

Well, that explained a lot. One, those birds outside were probably those Chocobos he was talking about, and, two, he wanted us to buy one. _That's_ why he was being so nice. Smooth, Sonya. Walked right into that one, didn't ya?

"Uh, no..." I replied cautiously. Yep, the old man deflated. "We came on my plane."

Yes, I had decided to risk it. Did they know what a plane was? Who knew. They seemed intelligent enough that it wasn't unlikely. Plus, I was going along with another science fiction cliché that all modern-day human species have flying contraptions of _some_ kind. Be they hot air balloons or spaceships.

"Oh, really?" The man asked, once again intrigued. "You come from Rocket Town, then?"

I had no idea what this Rocket Town was, but I was quick to assume that it was a town that had rockets. Yep, it took a real rocket scientist (no pun intended) to figure that one out. If they had rockets, and this man knew what a plane was, it was safe to guess that I could go on with the little story I was cooking up. And what better place for a pilot to come from than a town with rockets?

"Yes," I answered quickly. I would have to remember to tell Ronnie where we were from.

"A little far away from home, ain't cha?" The old man asked getting up and going into the kitchen, where the kids were still staring at me. Insert twitch here.

I laughed at the old man's comment. I really, really had no idea what he was talking about, but he seemed to, so I went along with it. I just hopped he wasn't a mean old man and stringing me along.

"Yeah, a little," I replied.

Ronnie came trudging back into the living room, saw me sitting on the couch, and joined me. The old man was busy preparing a drink, so I looked over at Ronnie and mouthed, 'We're from Rocket Town.' Ronnie stared at my lips, blinked, and just nodded slowly. He hadn't caught what I said, I knew. I looked back as the old man was making his way towards us.

"For a second when I saw you, I thought for sure you were with Shin-Ra, what with that get-up you got goin' on there," he said taking a sip.

"Why would you think that?" Ronnie asked. Kudos on not asking what Shin-Ra was. Smooth thinking. Then again, I did try to embed his foot into the ground earlier for trying to ask that same question. In that case, kudos on his ability to catch on so quickly.

"Oh, just with their military growing in size for the war and everything. I was sure you were coming to try to draft me or something."

So, that's what Shin-Ra was. It was the military of this world. That was a vital piece of information to have. That and a war was going on. I wondered with whom. Oh, crap, I left my plane out in the open. They could find it. What if it was different from the aircraft they used? What was I saying, of course it was different! What were the odds of a foreign planet having F-22's? Like...zero! Oh, shit, I was fucked.

"Well, then, we best be going back. I left my plane in a bit of a bad spot, I think," I said trying to get up.

"Really?" The old man asked, making me sit back down. "Where did you land it?"

I had no idea what the place was called, so I just decided to give a geographical location.

"By the swamp, past the mountain range," I replied.

Perhaps I should not have said that because then, not only were the old man and toddlers staring at me, but they were giving me a look that made me assume I had just sprouted clovers from my nose. I resisted the urge to check.

"You're either very brave, or very foolish for risking an encounter with a Midgar Zolom," the old man said gravely.

"Or very ignorant," Ronnie responded with before I could say anything. "What's a Midgar Zolom?"

The old man looked at him in shock. Well, that wasn't a good thing. I hoped whatever it was wasn't something everyone on the planet should have known. Then we really would have been screwed...

"You landed your plane in an area where you didn't even know what monsters lurked there?" He asked flabbergasted.

Monsters. Oh, wonderful. The place had _monsters._ Just peachy. I had never seen one of those before, I wondered what they looked like. Yes, that was sarcasm.

"We're really dumb travelers?" Ronnie more of asked.

The old man went to agree with him, but I cut in, "We're new to all this...traveling business. I don't know if we'll make it a full blown hobby yet."

The man looked at me wearily before sighing, "Kids these days."

Why was that always what old people said? Honestly, could they think of nothing else?

"The Midgar Zolom," the man continued, "is a thirty-foot tall serpent that lurks in the swamp that you unwisely landed your aircraft near. It is extremely dangerous and fast. Many unexperienced travelers have died trying to get to the caves beyond that swamp thanks to those serpents. That's why I put this Chocobo Farm here years ago. Those birds are the only ones on foot that can beat the Midgar Zolom's speed."

...So, I parked my plane right next to a giant swamp that housed giant snakes that could probably swallow my plane in three bites and me whole. Dumb ass. Now, not only was my plane in danger of getting discovered by an unknown military presence, but also it could get destroyed by an f-ing monster. Shoot me because I definitely deserved it.

"Well..." I said slowly, "Then, I guess we really _should_ be going. That plane is worth a fortune and it would be most unfortunate to have it destroyed."

I got up again, but was forced down by the old man. Boy was that guy quick: From the chair across from us, around the coffee table, to the couch. That was some good distance there! He was looking at me with those wide eyes again. Great, now what had I done?

"You can't go out there tonight!" He exclaimed. I glanced out the window. I hadn't even notice the sun was setting.

"Yeah," one of the toddlers spoke up. The boy. "There are all kines of scawy stuffs out a' night."

If I hadn't already been highly annoyed, I would have considered his speech impediment cute. But I was, so I didn't.

"'ou don' even haves a weapun," the little girl remarked.

Why was it that the little..."pre-schoolers" were more in tuned with what was going on around here than I was? Then again, they did live here and were born here. Ronnie and I, on the other hand were aliens, literally. It stood to reason that, naturally, they would know more.

"Well, what are we supposed to do? We can't stay here," Ronnie said.

He did have a point. We couldn't stay there. At least, I didn't _want_ to stay there.

"There's no other option!" The old man shouted, a finger up in the air. "You will stay here until the morning, then I'll let you borrow two of my Chocobos and you can make your way back to your plane."

Dammit. My life couldn't possibly get any worse. Yes, yes it could, in fact, I shouldn't have even thought that. I wanted to take it back. Irony was a bitch and I did not want it after me. The old man turned swiftly before Ronnie or I could protest and began fooling with some pots and pans.

"Consider this first time staying here on the house, but anytime after that, you're paying," the old man said. He gathered some food out of a small refrigerator. Was he cooking for us?

I looked over at Ronnie. He looked at me, then shrugged. He probably figured that we couldn't worm our way out of this, and we were just going to have to spend the night. I agreed with him. That old man was adamant on us not getting eaten by any of the nasties that hung out at night, and after hearing about a thirty-foot tall snake, I didn't think I wanted to, either.

Plus, the old man was letting us stay at his house for free, and was even feeding us! Something inside me said it would just be wrong to kill the guy's hospitality by running away. Also, I was starting to get hungry, and it smelt like he was cooking bacon. I couldn't say no to bacon.

That's when it dawned on me. 'Pay'. We had no money. Ok, I had a few dollars in my wallet, but that was about it; and, I didn't think they used a dollar system. Sure they spoke English, they had planes and a military, but having the same kind of paper currency seemed to be stretching the 'big coincidence' field. Earth couldn't even come up with a universal currency...

I sighed and leaned my head back onto the back of the couch, allowing the pleasant food smells to enter my nose and nearly make me start drooling on myself. I felt my hair bun pushing against my scalp and quickly untied it. Placing the ponytail holder around my wrist, I sighed.

"It's going to be a long night," I mumbled.

"And a long day tomorrow..." Ronnie replied.

**-FFVII-**

That night went by without a hitch. After introducing ourselves, the man's name was Bill, the boy's Billy, and the girl's Chole, we ate a dinner that was actually the same as any Earth dinner. Save for this weird purple apple thing. Needless to say, I didn't eat it. It was purple. Apples should not be purple. Then we stayed at the dinner table until it was going on nine, which was when the tykes went to bed, and I, to my great dismay, found out I had to, too. It seemed that that was the universal 'bedtime' of this household and guests were no exception to this rule. Joy.

After telling the old man that Ronnie and I were _not_ sleeping in the same bed together, he arranged for Ronnie to take the couch and me the extra bed. Regardless of going through hell on Earth, the end of the world, and having to imagine the destruction of my plane at the fangs of a snake, I didn't dream at all that night. I found that a godsend. There weren't many nights that I could remember _not_ dreaming.

The next morning I found myself waking up at the crack of dawn. I was not a morning person. I did not like getting up at almost 6 A.M. And I definitely did _not_ like going without my coffee. It was a wise decision on the old man's part to send in one of the pipsqueaks to wake me up, or else I would have seriously injured whoever dared awaken me.

Growling, I crawled my way out of the bed, made sure to make it straight away, as I would not be coming back and that would just be rude, and walked into the living room—where Ronnie was steadily falling back asleep on the couch. I walked over to him and glared down at his form. It didn't take long for him to sense my presence. With the amount of annoyance I was feeling, I wondered how he could _not_ feel my aura silently ripping his to shreds.

He cracked one eye open and looked at me. I waited for him to say something, but he seemed to be waiting for _me_ to say something, instead.

"Get up," I commanded.

Ronnie groaned and slowly pushed himself off the couch. He began to gather the covers.

"I don't see why you have to be so grumpy in the morning," he muttered, still half-asleep.

"Because I don't have my coffee," I nearly growled.

Now, don't go thinking I was a coffee addict. I did not go around drinking five cups or more a day like some people. I only had one cup of coffee in the morning right after I woke up, and then I was good for the day. However, those farming folk did not believe in such a thing; so, there was no coffee waiting for me, which meant I could not start my day the way I had since I was younger than five, and also I was in for one hell of a headache later on in the day. Caffeine withdrawals are a bitch.

I left Ronnie alone to clean up the couch and walked outside. The air was cool and it was slowly trying to wake me up. That was actually a refreshing feeling. One that I hadn't had in a long time.

"Wark!"

I blinked and slowly turned my head to face the fence that held the Chocobos. Now that I actually paid attention to those things, dang, were they huge. Ostrich or emu my foot, they stood as tall as a horse! If not bigger... And their necks were way thicker than any ostrich. Remembering what the old man said yesterday, about them being the only thing fast enough to get by the Midgar Zolom, I figured they were the riding animals of the planet. Giant chickens that you ride on... Interesting.

"Found which one you're going to ride?" Bill said as he came up behind me.

I turned around and faced him. His face was all warm and smiles and I was one hundred percent positive mine was the exact opposite. My face seemed to be stuck in a permanent scowl upon awakening.

"Not really," I replied.

"You ever ridden on one before?"

"Nope."

"Well, I might want to give you a lesson then," the old man said before walking towards the fence.

I merely watched as he opened it, walked up to a nearby grazing Chocobo, and grabbed a hold of some reins that had been tied to its beak. None of the others had reins, so I guessed that he used that one a lot for giving demonstrations to other riders and whatnot.

"This here's Suzy," he said patting the thing's head, "she's my own personal Chocobo. I can't let you have her, but all the other ones are free for you to ride. Until you get to your plane, that is."

My plane. That's right. I was leaving to go find my plane and hide it before anyone else could get to it. How in the world was I going to do that? I would probably be flying around until I ran out of fuel. That would be fun... I was snapped out of my thoughts as the man walked over to me. He handed the thing's reins to me. I blinked and stared at his outstretched hand.

"I'm going to need you to hold on to her while I go fetch her saddle," he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh..." I replied as I unfolded my arms.

I unsteadily took the bird's reins and watched as Bill made his way to the big barn behind the fence. Great, there I was stuck holding on to a big bird that could probably peck my head once and kill me if it wanted to. I turned and faced the Chocobo. It just stood there obediently, slightly bouncing up and down. Maybe it was like a horse. It was probably controlled like one, too. Too bad I didn't know how to do that...

Suzy and I stared at one another as we waited for Bill to come back. Chocobos had _really_ big eyes, and when it blinked it reminded me of how a bird of prey looks when it blinks. So, still not fully awake, my mind started to wander to what the bird would be like if it wasn't domesticated. Could it really fly? It had big wings, but were they big enough to give its massive bulk lift? Though its feet were designed for running, could they fly out of the sky, snatch you up, and carry you away?

I heard someone moving behind me and turned around to see Bill making his way back with a saddle. I wasn't surprised to see it shaped just like a horse's. I continued to hold onto Suzy's reins until Bill was finished fastening the straps and other do-hickeys around the Chocobo's body, then handed her to him.

He climbed up onto the Chocobo like an experienced jockey and easily started guiding her around.

"Guiding a Chocobo is actually very easy. Just don't be too nervous. They're sensitive animals, and they don't like it when people who aren't sure of themselves try to control them," he began.

I knew then that I was in for a very long, drawn-out explanation of 'How To Ride A Chocobo.' So, I pretty much tuned out most of what he said, save for the directions to yank the reins in to get them to turn left or right. _That_ I logged away and made sure to memorize. Halfway through Bill's discussion, Ronnie came out to meet us.

"What's he doing?" He said quietly, as if the old man hadn't just seen him come 'late.'

"Explaining how to ride a Chocobo," I replied.

"Oh..."

"Yeah. Left is left, right is right, and if you want to make a quick stop, pull back on the reins and press your weight towards the back of the bird. Also, don't kick it. I think something bad will happen if you do," I explained.

Ronnie slowly looked at me and blinked, "I'm a little scared you know that."

I gave him a blank look, "Unlike _you_, I was actually up and ready at the appointed time to get my riding lesson."

Ronnie waited a few seconds before going, "So, it's like riding a horse."

"It's like riding a horse."

When Bill was finished he dismounted Suzy, and began taking off her saddle. Ronnie and I waited at the fence for our instructions. Bill walked over to us, placed the saddle on the fence, and then smiled. For some strange reason, I didn't like it when he smiled. I got the feeling that whenever he smiled he was going to say or do something I didn't like.

"So, who's up first to catch a Chocobo?"

And that would be why I did not like that smile. We had to catch our own bloody Chocobo. Why couldn't he just go and grab one for us and get it over with? Why did I have to make a fool out of myself trying to catch a bird that was way bigger and faster than I was? The man was a fan of cruel and unusual punishment that was why. Behind that cheery farmer exterior was a sick and twisted little man. That was all there was to it.

"I vote, Sonya," Ronnie said smiling at me.

I glared at him, but decided, what the hell? I may as well go and get it over with so I could laugh at him later when he screwed up worse than I did. With that mindset I entered the pin and surveyed my surroundings...which didn't look much different than from when I was outside looking in. Chocobos, grass, and bird droppings. Wow.

"So, what am I doing again?" I asked looking over at Bill and Ronnie, who was still grinning.

"You're going to go up to a Chocobo and try to catch it. If it'll let you ride it, it won't run from you; however, if it doesn't like you, you'd best get out of the way," Bill replied. "It might try to run you down."

Oh, great. That's when he tells me. I put those wonderful images out of my head and walked slowly towards one of the Chocobos. I had no idea how to tell these things' gender apart, so I just assumed it was a he and mentally called him Bob. Now, at least, I had something to curse whenever it tried to trample me. I had such high self-esteem that morning.

I wondered if I should be approaching it like you see people approach normal wild animals; in that strange crab-like stance, with their arms and hands out to the side like, "I'm not going to hurt you." Which, more than likely to the animal, looks like you are going to run up to it and slap your hands on either side of its head or something. So, I decided not to do that and just calmly and casually walk up to the bird.

When I got within five feet of it, it stopped grazing and picked its head up. I froze. I stared at it and it stared at me. _Ok bird, _I thought to myself, _what are _you_ going to do?_ It merely blinked at me, warked, and stood where it was. Ok, well, then I guessed it was okay to keep going.

I made it another two feet before the bird snorted at me and lowered its head. Ok, seeing as how I was ignoring mister Chocobo man earlier, I had _no idea_ what _that_ was supposed to mean. I thought about giving up and just walking back to my plane at that point, or stealing Suzy, because I did NOT want to get trampled to death by a big chicken; Ronnie would not allow me to do so.

"Oh, come on. Just grab it! You're already almost an arm's length away from the thing!" He shouted at me.

I didn't give a damn if he was trying to give me courage, or that his voice was playful when he said it, when I got out of the pin, I was going to beat his ass. Because the Chocobo was then staring at me with an intensity that screamed, "Try it, bitch, and your ass is grass."

I glanced over to the right. No other Chocobos. I glanced over to the left, and barely out of my peripheral, I could see another Chocobo. Screw you, Bob, I'll go for Bonny. I turned away from the more-than-angry bird and made my way quickly towards the other one. That one seemed way more calmer than first, especially since I was power-walking my way over to it and it hadn't budged an inch.

When I got close to 'Bonny' it brought its head up and warked at me just like the first had done, but I didn't care. I had already had one stand-off, I did not want another one; so, I was either going to have to quickly grab the bird and be on my way, or quickly get trampled. I did not have time to have another 'stare down of fate.'

Thankfully, when I reached out towards 'Bonny' it let me touch it, and I quickly snatched the reins that had been loosely tied to its beak. Sonya: One. Chocobos: …Half a point. I gave 'Bob' kudos for scaring me shitless.

"Seems like you've found your Chocobo," Bill said grinning.

I couldn't tell if he was grinning because his first student had so 'effortlessly' caught her first Chocobo, or because I wasn't a Saan-pancake and therefore he had no dead bodies to clean up. Yet. I walked out of the pin and stood beside Bill. He held out his hand for the reins. I stared back at him. I had just caught a Chocobo, by myself, and he wanted me to give it to him? Hell no, it wasn't goin'.

"You're going to have to put the saddle on by yourself if you're going to be a true Chocobo rider," he said matter-of-factly, hand still outstretched.

Never before had the desire to kick someone in the face so overwhelmed me that I nearly did. But, that day was a first for many things, and I caught myself right before my foot was more than an inch off the ground. Maybe it was because I had no coffee that morning, or maybe it was just simply too early for my brain to be working, but I found my self-control lacking. Slowly, I put my foot down and released the Chocobo's reins into Bill's hands.

"There are spare saddles in the barn," Bill said, pointing off in the building's direction. As if I couldn't see something as big as a barn.

Again, I choked down the urge to injure something and stormed my way towards the barn, fists clenched along with teeth. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea for me to miss anymore coffee breaks. I would probably calm down more after a while, though...when the headache set in. I could hear Bill cheering on Ronnie as I pushed open one of the barn's stable doors.

Inside it was just like a normal stable would be. Hay lying around everywhere and some grass-looking plants spread out in the troths along with a bucket of water beside that. Naturally, assorted farm tools like pitchforks and sickles hung on nails on the walls. It was funny how old farm tools were always depicted as demonic weapons. I still wait for the day the Grim Reaper updates to a lawnmower.

Looking around, I quickly spotted the saddles hanging up a little ways in the back. After stumbling over a bale of hay, nearly spearing myself on the pitchfork, and almost slapping myself in the face by stepping on a rake, I managed to grab a hold of two saddles. Grumbling loudly to myself, I practically yanked them off the wall and stormed out of the barn. When I emerged, I realized Ronnie was having a great deal of trouble catching his Chocobo.

I walked over to Bill and Bonny and set the saddles down on the fence. Bill frowned.

"Mr. Ronnie was supposed to get his own. It was sort of a graduation ceremony I had planned the two of you," he said.

I slowly looked at him. "Sir," I said, "we don't have that kind of time."

Bill looked at me for a few seconds, trying to see if I was joking or not, and then sighed.

"Alright," he said defeated.

He turned back to observe Ronnie, who was currently running from 'Bob', stupid idiot shouldn't have gone after _that_ Chocobo, as I walked over to Bonny. Yes, that was what I named my Chocobo. I figured that since that was the name I chanted over and over in my head like a mantra as I was catching it, that it was lucky, and to actually name the bird that. I grabbed the closest saddle and tossed it over the Chocobo's back.

That was when I paused. I had not been paying attention to Bill when he did this the first time, and I did not even remember if he went over it in his 'How To Ride A Chocobo' lesson or not. That was another reason I needed coffee in the morning. I wasn't all there without it!

"Um..." I muttered and looked over at Bill.

But, he was too busy yelling at Ronnie to tuck and roll before 'Bob' pecked his eyes out to pay any attention to me. Well, that was just wonderful. I turned back to the saddle and glanced at the Chocobo. It was looking at me, waiting for me to do something. I had no f-ing idea what to do! Rawr!

Glaring at the infernal contraption, I ducked my head under the Chocobo to see where the other strap was. Finding it, I grabbed a hold of it and fit it into the strap directly across from it on the other side. Two plus two is four, and being parallel to one another nine times out of ten meant that those straps were supposed to go together. I stepped back and looked at my handiwork. Okay, so far so good. Now for the next...three? Argh!

By the time I had finished figuring out how to 'hook up' a Chocobo, Ronnie had already caught 'Bob' (no clue how he managed it) and was making his way over to me and Bill at the fence.

"Ok, Saan, I take back what I said. It _is_ hard catching a Chocobo..." Ronnie gasped for air as he laid limply across the fence. Bill chuckled.

"Oh, it ain't hard, Mr. Ronnie," he said. "It's just that you chose Demon. He's kinda the alpha male of the group."

Both Ronnie and I stared at the old man. That information must not have been important enough to tell us earlier, _before_ we were almost seriously injured by the damn bird. Bill, finally realizing I had completed my task of suiting up Bonny, came over to inspect my work.

"Not bad, not bad," He said nodding his head approvingly. "But, this strap here is a bit loose."

He grabbed a hold of the strap under the Chocobo, wiggled it a bit, tightened it, then stepped back smiling. He nodded then looked at me.

"Wouldn't want to fall off now, would we?" He asked cheerily.

I blinked, "No. No, we wouldn't."

Ronnie did a better job than me of saddling up his Chocobo. Then again, he _did_ have a wonderful display of how it was supposed to go right beside him on Bonny. After he had finished, both Ronnie and I hopped up onto our Chocobos. Demon, formerly known as Bob, gave Ronnie a bit of trouble, but after getting a scolding from Bill, he settled down.

"Now," Bill said patting both our Chocobos as he stood between us. "There are still monsters roaming about in the daytime, but they're few and far between. Most everything will avoid you though as long as you remain on your Chocobos."

Again, more interesting information. The monsters of those parts were like most predators, and came out at night, and those that didn't were little wusses and would not attack travelers while they were on these giant birds. Note to self: Don't get off the giant bird.

"However," Bill continued, "Midgar Zolom's will attack you if you're on a Chocobo or not. So, if you see one, get away as soon as possible since you have no weapons to defend yourself; though, I doubt you could kill one even if you did. They are surprisingly tough creatures."

Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence there, Bill. Really appreciate it.

"When you reach your plane, it's alright for you to leave the Chocobos there. They know their way home and will come back."

"Wait," Ronnie interrupted, "so, the snakes won't eat them?"

"No," Bill replied. "It seems they only like humans."

Oh, well, _that_ I _definitely_ wanted to know. The more and more I heard about those snakes, the more and more I wish I didn't. Also, the more I regretted not waiting a few minutes longer to get further away from the swamp to land. Why did I have to be so impatient to confirm I was not dead and was not hallucinating? Stupid, stupid, Sonya!

"Alright then," I said, testing the reins. Sure enough, Bonny shifted in the direction I tugged her head. "If that's it, we'll be off."

Bill nodded his head and stepped out from between us and out of our way.

"Thanks for everything," Ronnie said giving a little wave.

That was Ronnie, always the polite one.

"Yeah, thanks," I added before squeezing the Chocobo's sides with my knees.

It warked and slowly it started to walk off. Ronnie followed suit. In no time both he and I were going quite a bit of speed away from the Chocobo Farm. Sure, so far the Chocobos were only walking, but their long legs gave them enormous strides that propelled them forward at quite a decent pace. I wondered why we hadn't decided to use them earlier. Probably because we did not know about them, and there weren't any near the landing site, but darn it there should have been! I made a mental note that, after I hid the plane from sight, I was going to go back to the Chocobo Farm with some money and buy one... Whenever I got some of their money. Oi, we had a long way to go in the world.

**-FFVII-**

Seriously, I _had _to get me one of those things. Sure, they could walk fast, but they could run even faster! I know I'm getting back off on the dinosaur tangent, but they reminded me of raptors in the way that they ran. Ronnie and I were racing each other back to the plane. Most of the scenery looked the same around those parts but I was sure that we had passed the halfway mark just a little ways back, and though I was having fun riding a Chocobo, I could not wait to get back to my plane. I felt uncomfortable with it being out in the open, and the more hours that passed, the worse the feeling of dread I had became.

Ronnie pulled ahead of me and cut me off. I narrowed my eyes at him and tried to pass. I nearly got around him, too, before he caught onto what I was doing and turned into my path. I had to force Bonny to slow down, causing her to wark in protest.

"Dammit, Ronnie!" I yelled at him.

He only laughed and sped up. Oh, I would get him back for that. I would get him back... The terrain on either side of us was starting to get rocky, and I could tell we were fast approaching the landing site. That did not leave me a lot of time to get my revenge. I squeezed Bonny's sides a little harder and leaned forward, coaxing her to go faster. She responded and soon I was right on Ronnie's tail. Or, Demon's tail would be a more literally way of putting it. I sneered as I reached out and grabbed a hold of a tail feather. Demon squawked and quickly slammed on the brakes.

"Hahaha!" I shouted as I sped around the very confused Ronnie.

"Hey!" He shouted at me.

I didn't look back because I knew that he was probably close to catching up with me again. Demon was a faster Chocobo than Bonny, so there was no doubt in my mind that that was what was happening.

"You cheated!" I heard him call out to me, "What if this thing had thrown me!"

"Then you'd be on the ground writhing in pain!" I called back.

Seeing something up ahead, I yanked the reins back and leaned back into the saddle.

"Waaark!" Bonny cried out as she slid to a stop.

"SONYA!" Ronnie shouted.

I cringed as I half-expected him to go crashing into me, but miraculously he missed me by a few inches and slid to a stop himself. Thank goodness he had not been _right _behind me, or that would have really, _really_ hurt. Not only us, but the Chocobos as well.

"What was that for?" Ronnie nearly screamed at me, his eyes wide with panic. It seemed he had been terrified by the near collision more than I had.

"My plane is gone..." I replied calmly.

Ronnie blinked as he stared at me in disbelief, "What?"

"My plane," I said again, "is gone."

"What do you mean your plane is gone?" He asked.

I shoved my finger forcefully in the direction of the marsh that lay ahead, "MY PLANE IS GONE!"

My outburst, aided with the handy-dandy pointer finger, finally caused Ronnie to look at where my plane was..._before_ we had left it, that is. Now, it was not there. A F-22 Raptor does not simply disappear off the face of the planet, whatever the planet, so _someone_ or _something _was behind its disappearance and I had guesses for both. Either those bastards at Shin-Ra took it thinking it was enemy aircraft and were now in a lab somewhere taking it apart to backwards engineer it... Or it was scattered, in pieces, all across the marsh and inside a giant snake.

Either way, I had somehow skipped the angry part of being angry and had entered the 'eerie calm' stage—the one where I began plotting my revenge for any misdeeds that had been caused me. I was absolutely positive that I would not be able to take on a Midgar Zolom all by my lonesome, without a weapon, and a blundering idiot as my partner; so, I settled with take my frustrations out on Shin-Ra.

No, I did not know where Shin-Ra was stationed, and even if I found the name of the city, I probably wouldn't be able to find it without a map, compass, and a guide to tell me, 'Hey, stupid, you're going the wrong way.' That did not stop me from thinking wonderful thoughts of revenge. So what if they were the military? So was I! I could so infiltrate their building, blow up a few things, and escape with my aircraft...if it was not already in shambles. Ok, if I blew something up, then I would be a fugitive and they would probably come after me to kill me. Maybe I should have aimed to be a little more diplomatic in my negotiations; but, dammit, was I pissed!

"Come on," I said as I turned Bonny around and started heading back to the Chocobo Farm.

"What? We're going back?" Ronnie asked in dismay.

"My plane has apparently decided to leave without us so, we have other option. We're going to have to stay there until we can figure out how to get to Shin-Ra," I replied.

Ronnie decided to follow me, "Why Shin-Ra?"

"Because they're probably the ones that took my plane."

"It could've been a snake. You shouldn't go jumping to conclusions..."

"Did you see any pieces of shiny metal reflecting all over the ground back there?" I asked turning my head to look at him.

Ronnie was silent for a moment, "...no."

"Exactly."

"But I couldn't see it that well! I still say a snake could have got to it..."

I ignored his protests. The more I thought about it, the more Shin-Ra taking it became the most logical explanation for the aircraft's disappearance. Come to think of it, didn't Bill say the Midgar Zolom only attacked humans and left riderless Chocobos? It would not waste its time on an inanimate object, I was sure of it. Oh, yeah, Shin-Ra was definitely going to get a complaint from me.

I twitched and rubbed my eyebrows as the lack of caffeine started up a headache. Great, that was something I needed. I couldn't plan well with headaches.

"Uh, Saan. Didn't Bill say we were going to have to pay every night after last night? I don't have much money on me," Ronnie chimed.

I groaned, "They probably don't use our currency, Ronnie."

"Then what are we going to do? We can't stay there if we can't pay."

"..."

"...or, maybe we can," Ronnie said thoughtfully.

I looked over my shoulder at him and almost dreaded asking, "How?"

"Well, they're farming types right? Workers. I'm sure they have a load of stuff to do. Maybe we can work for our stay. They don't seem like the type of people to say no to that plan. I mean, it's just Bill. I'm sure those kids can't do much work," Ronnie reasoned.

"I hate you," I mumbled and turned back around to face the front.

"Why?" Ronnie asked.

"Because that's what we're more than likely going to have to do. I a farmer do not make," I remarked disdainfully.

Ronnie only laughed. We spent the rest of the ride back to the Chocobo Farm mostly in silence. Occasionally, we would remark about something in the scenery or a tiny 'monster' we would walk by. There were an innumerable amount of small, fat, spiky things that would roll by us; and, every time one did, I was secretly grateful for Bill letting us borrow some of his Chocobos. I did not want to encounter those kinds of things without at least a _shield_ of some kind.

When we arrived back at the house, we dismounted our steeds, actually taking the time to remove the saddle from them, and led them back into the pin. I was pretty sure that Demon was happy to see Ronnie go, considering he pecked at him quite roughly as Ronnie walked away from him. I smirked and walked to the door. I knocked again, and used the same type of rough knock as the first time we had come here. At least that way, Bill had a pretty good idea who it was at his door.

Bill opened it and frowned when he saw me, "What is it? I thought you were going for your plane."

"I was," I replied as Ronnie walked up beside me.

"It's not there anymore," Ronnie said.

Bill's brow creased in confusion. "What do you mean? Did a Zolom get it?"

"No," I answered quickly.

"So says you..." Ronnie grumbled.

I continued, "I'm pretty sure Shin-Ra took it thinking it was enemy aircraft or something. I'm going to try to get it back from them."

Bill stared at me hard. He probably thought I was an idiot for trying to stand up to the government, or for having a plane that wasn't registered or some shit like that. Personally, I didn't care. I wanted my plane back. Not only that, but it had no business even being on Gaia; and, call me paranoid, but I thought I was fucking up the order of things by having it in the natives' grubby little hands.

"Good luck with that," he muttered, "but, why did you come back _here_? Why didn't you just go straight to Midgar?"

I blinked.

"Midgar?" Ronnie had already said it before I could stop him.

Back on Earth, Midgar_d_, emphasis on the d, was a Norse mythology thing, I knew that much from watching _Stargate_. Yeah, I definitely did not grow out of the science fiction thing... Anyway, if memory served me, it was supposed to be a term for Earth, or Middle Earth, but most people tended to shy away from that one due to a famous author by the name of J.R.R. Tolkien. So, why was a foreign planet knowledgeable about a term that comes from ancient Norse stuff? Interesting question indeed, but there were more pressing matters at hand; the answer to that could wait.

"You don't know where that is?" Bill asked, once again in shock at our ignorance.

"We also, kind of, didn't bring a map," I replied. Bill gave me a blank look.

"We didn't think we'd be gone this long, or that our plane would be stolen!" I added quickly, "We're usually not this stupid."

"You sure about that?" Ronnie asked, raising a brow. I glared at him.

Bill chuckled. "Alright, alright. Midgar is a good few miles that way," he pointed off to the right somewhere. "I can let you borrow the Chocobos again if you'd like."

Haha, we had already unhooked the saddles, I was not going to put them back on. Midgar could wait.

"Actually," I said.

Ronnie cut in, "We were wondering if you would let us stay here until we got things situated and _then_ leave."

"Well, certainly!" Bill exclaimed, "It's five hundred gil a night."

Gil equals money. Gotcha. Trick was, we did not have any, and five hundred sounded a lot. What's the equivalent of that in U.S. dollars, I wondered.

"Yeah, about that..." I started. "We don't have any gil on us. We were going to ask if we could work here instead to help pay that off."

Bill's facial expression turned serious. He did not look like he liked that idea. Then again, even if we _were_ working for our stay there was the issue of food. I did not require that much food to live off of, Ronnie on the other hand ate way more than I did. Poor Bill was going to have five mouths to feed and no income from us to help buy food. I could understand why he would hesitate on that offer.

Finally he sighed, "Alright. You're good people, I can tell that, so I'll accept those terms."

I smiled. We were good people! That was a wonderful compliment. Too bad I was planning on causing problems for this man's government, which was not something that 'good people' tended to do. Oh, well. Bill stepped aside and allowed us to, once again, enter his house. This time, however, we were going to be staying more than one night. I had a sneaky suspicion it would take at least two days for me to come up with a plan, and then get supplies for this trip to Midgar. Because after going to Midgar, I was _not_ coming back. Nothing against Bill, but I hated living on a farm. Even _if_ Chocobos were less dirty than Earth livestock.

**A/N: Zomg-goodness! Are we actually getting to Midgar? Yes, yes we are. I would like to thank you sincerely for actually reading all of this, and if you could only review, I would much appreciate it. I love getting feedback on my stories. Flames I don't like so much, but I consider myself a tough cookie, I can handle it.**

_**Edit: God, the amount of errors is amazing. Also, Ronnie's house is very boring… All chapters (including this one) might be longer than most of you are used to on this website. That is because I am a twenty-year-old college student who has read a lot of novels and short stories; not to mention I'm quite verbal. In short: I have experience. Because I have experience, you all suffer long chapters and a high word count. Terribly sorry –sarcasm-.**_


	3. Of Midgar and Trains

**A/N: Hello, and welcome to the third chapter in this wonderful fan fiction. I would like to thank those who **_**actually**_** reviewed on the last two chapters (virtual cookies for both of you), and those who alerted it (same applies to you). You are brave people. It's been a while since I've played FFVII, so if I'm off on anything, feel free to yell at me for it. That being said, please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, a Chocobo named Bonny, Wal-Mart, Microsoft, or the knowledge to defend myself (other than 'go for the groin'). However, I do own this plot and brand, new, spiffy college books. =D**

_**Edited on 17 Sept 2010 for errors and goofs. Yes, there is a difference between the two.**_

Ok, scratch the 'at least two days' estimate. We wound up staying a week at that god-forsaken farm. I did not think I could stomach another Chocobo pie again. In some odd twist of fate, Bill had assigned me all the chores for the barn, and Ronnie got to chill out in the house and cook and clean. Of course, that could have been due to the fact that I couldn't cook worth a flip and Ronnie did not do good around pointy objects a.k.a. nearly every farm tool imaginable.

While we were there we found out valuable information about the world we were on by cheating. Ronnie would ask Billy and Chole questions to see how smart they were, when we were really learning these things for ourselves. We were cheeky bastards, weren't we?

First thing was first. We were on a planet called Gaia. Why in the world this world was named after another name for Earth, I had no idea, but it was. Tons of monsters roamed the planet giving travelers a hard time, but most were garden variety and easy to dispatch. Very rarely were there monsters bigger than a Chocobo and even fewer were bigger than that.

Mako and Shin-Ra. Like two peas in a pod. Apparently, the people of Gaia did not use electricity like on our planet, but some type of green, glowy liquid that came out of the planet. Mako was used to power damn near everything, and was what turned Shin-Ra from a tiny electric company, to a giant ass military presence that pretty much ran the whole world. The Gaians were stupid idiots. That was like Earth finally accepting the dominance of Microsoft or Wal-Mart and letting them run the government instead of having democratic elections or something.

Also, Shin-Ra was currently at war with a country called Wutai. Bill didn't explain much of the reasons for this war, but it might have had something to do with Shin-Ra trying to shove a reactor in Wutai and Wutai's want for Materia.

Materia. According to Billy and Chole, Materia was this 'pwetty glowing wock' that allowed whoever used it to cast magic. Bill didn't know much about it either, so Ronnie and I were pretty clueless in that area. Though, we did find out that normal people usually could not get their hands on the stuff, and Shin-Ra's soldiers and army were the primary users of the strange rocks.

That threw a big wrench in my plan for busting out my aircraft. I had been expecting to go in there, maybe yell at a few people, and if push came to shove, use freaking force. I was pretty sure the plane had some live rounds left in it. I could probably shoot a few of them out of the way. But, if they had pwetty glowing wocks that could shoot other kinds of 'magic' at me...I highly doubted I could make it like that. Also, Bill mentioned the fact that Shin-Ra had a big huge building set on the plate of Midgar and it was full of tough security. I had no idea what it meant to be sitting on a 'plate', but ok. It seemed that a stealth operation was the way I was going to have to go.

Also, it would be foolish to go up there and say, "Yo, I'm the pilot of that plane you captured," if they thought it was enemy aircraft. Because then I would be an enemy and they would throw me in jail. They were humans and, just like all other humans, they had to have ways of dealing with criminals. So, they probably had jails. The Gaians seemed far too advanced to go around executing people left and right. I hoped.

In terms of supplies, it really didn't take long for Ronnie and me to get a little knapsack together of a few pieces of food and some of these weird things called potions that Bill gave us. He said we would probably need them on our way to Midgar since the number of monsters seemed to increase around there.

So, little knapsacks in tow, perched on the back of Bonny and Demon, and a few gil jingling in our pockets—it seemed we worked harder than we were supposed to thus we were paid—Ronnie and I waited for Bill to get out of our way so we could _finally_ begin the trip to Midgar.

"Now, remember what I said. The monsters will be sparse until you get halfway there and then they'll start showing their ugly selves more often. As long as you're with your Chocobos, everything should be fine. Once you reach Midgar, they'll stop you and check you out before letting you in the slums, those are the parts under the plate. You'll have to take the train to get to the top, that's where the Shin-Ra Building is. Remember, security is probably very tight in there, so don't go anywhere without your I.D.s," Bill finished.

"Alright, Bill, we got it. Don't make any trouble and we should be fine," I said restlessly shifting in my saddle.

"I hope you get your plane back. Though, Shin-Ra can be very touchy when it comes to things like that," Bill replied taking a few steps away from the Chocobos.

"I hope for their sake they give it back," Ronnie mumbled.

Bill gave him a curious look. I cocked my head to the side, "I can get very angry when people mess with my things."

Bill chuckled, "I think I've noticed."

"Goodbye, Bill..." I said quickly, easing Bonny into a walking gait.

"Goodbye Ms. Saan, Mr. Ronnie!" Bill called after us, as I was already gaining speed. I needed to get the hell out of there. "Come back soon!"

Ha! Never! I hoped to never see that stupid barn again! And, just like that, we were making our way towards freedom, Midgar, Shin-Ra, and ultimately, my plane. I wasn't going to have to put up with country meals any longer. No more little children bouncing around the house while I tried to regain my strength and mental health on the couch from cleaning up Chocobo crap. No more freaking purple apples, which I was unfortunate enough to have shoved down my throat because Ronnie said they were 'good'; when they were really entirely too sweet for my liking.

"So, what's the plan?" Ronnie asked as the Chocobos finally broke out into a run.

"I don't have one," I replied nonchalantly.

"What?" The tone of Ronnie's voice meant he was secretly threatening me to come up with one, and fast.

I sighed, "I was just going to go waltzing in there and demand my plane back, but I don't think that's going to work. They'd probably throw us in jail."

"Why?"

"Because if they think it's enemy aircraft then we'd be enemies for flying it..."

"Oh."

"Also, if this was Earth, and someone just waltzed up to the government and said, 'Yo, give that back, it's mine', do you think they'd actually do it?" I asked looking at him.

"...true. They'd probably be like, 'Hehe, mine now, bitch.'" Ronnie replied.

"Exactly."

"So, we're pretty much winging this?" He asked.

"Pretty much."

"And where are we going to live?"

... I hadn't really thought about that either. For the past eight days we had been living with an old man and his kids so, the thought of actually having to move into a house or apartment of our own never crossed my mind. I had been so caught up in thoughts about my plane and sweet revenge that I had failed to think ahead on more than just one aspect of my life. Why did I have to go and do a thing like that?

I sighed, "I don't know."

"Well, that's just great," Ronnie replied tartly.

I scowled. Yeah, okay, so our situation sucked ass. He didn't have to go and rub it in like that. I was trying my best to come up with things on such short notice, after all. I didn't see him coming up with ideas. I seemed to be the one thinking of everything! Excluding his idea for working to pay off our debt for staying the night, though. I gave him full credit for that. And, since I did, I was fully allowed to blame him for those seven days of hell.

One of the rolly, spiky things passed the path in front of us and kept going on its merry little way. I had half a mind to stop and let Bonny poke the damn thing to death with her beak. Once I didn't have to constantly think about cleaning up bird droppings and which Chocobo was eating the wrong kind of greens, I was forced to think about other things, and I was feeling pretty shitty about having to do so. There is great irony in that statement.

Gone were the days of mentally sitting on my ass. Where were we going to live? For how long would it stay that way? Where were we going to work? Then came the wonderful thoughts of, 'Oh, God, what happens if Ronnie and I spontaneously decide we want to have a family?' Not together, of course, that wouldn't happen for many reasons. The question still remained, however. Questions led to questions that led to their own questions and soon I found myself lost in a never ending 'thought spiral' that was leading me down into a depression.

We were all alone in the world. Sure, there were Gaians everywhere, but we were the only two Earthlings. That was a very depressing thought. One that I could not for the life of me get my mind off of. Earth's population had dropped substantially from billions to, like, two in the blink of an eye. However, Ronnie and I were on Gaia, not Earth, so did that mean there were no other humans from Earth actually _left on Earth_? Sure, maybe some of the shelters actually survived and didn't get burned to a crisp, but how were those left inside fairing?

Wow. I was pretty sure what I was experiencing was called a 'delayed reaction.' A very serious delayed reaction. When I almost caused Bonny to run smack dab into one of the porcupine things, I finally decided to pull myself out of my thoughts and pay attention to the damn road. Oh, hey, look. There was a road! Definitely did not see that there before.

"You alright?" Ronnie asked giving me a concerned look.

I blinked, stared at the rolling porcupine ball, then continued moving, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You seem upset," He stated.

Well, that's because I was. How observant of you.

"I was thinking, Ronnie. You should try it some time."

He gave me a look that clearly said he was not pleased with my answer then turned around and continued on. Demon warked as Ronnie forced him into another dash, and I followed his lead. Bonny took off, the quick jerk almost making me fly off. Perhaps I should have held onto the reins a little tighter... Finally deciding to put my thoughts behind me, alongside my stomach, I focused on what was in front of me. Both literally and figuratively.

Finding a house to live in and a family to settle down with could come later. Way later. For now I had to focus on getting to Midgar, into Shin-Ra, and finding my freakin' plane. I almost fell off the Chocobo when a thought occurred to me.

"OH GOD!" I groaned out as loud as I could.

"What?" Ronnie asked looking over his shoulder at me. Demon was still faster than Bonny.

"I.D.s!" I exclaimed, Bill's words finally sinking in.

"What?" Ronnie asked again, he had no idea what I was talking about.

"Bill! Bill told us to keep our I.D.s on us all the time, and that the Shin-Ra security would probably ask to check them _a lot_," I droned out.

Ronnie was giving me a look that clearly said that he had no idea where I was going with that.

"We don't have any!" I shouted.

Sure, Ronnie had his driver's license, but I highly doubted that a piece of plastic with the State of Tennessee printed at the top would work as one. If anything, it would draw further suspicion. After all, there was no Tennessee on Gaia. As for my driver's license... I couldn't even remember the last time I saw it. I could only pray that it had not been in the plane when they took it. That had my picture on it, and they would know straight away who I was as soon as I walked through the front door.

"Craaap," Ronnie groaned. "Surely not _everyone_ on this planet has to have one. Their government can't be that extensive. It's just not possible. Maybe we can get by that or have them issue us one, or something."

He did raise a good point. It was impossible for Shin-Ra to have information on _everyone_ that resided on Gaia. I didn't know this planet's population, but it had to be bigger than anything one lonely little military force could handle in terms of paperwork. Especially if it was only stationed in one city: Midgar.

"If we act dumb enough," I concluded, "that might just work."

"I don't think acting dumb will work for you," he said.

"Why not?"

"You're going to waltz in and basically demand your aircraft back at _some_ point, right?" Ronnie asked.

Actually, the more I thought about it, no. No, I wasn't. I would probably sneak it out. "Go on."

"You're a pilot that can fly a very complicated machine that takes a great number of hours training to learn how to fly...and you're going to play dumb?"

Again, good point. Most pilots had to at least have a little bit of common sense about them. Saying something like, "Oh, I forgot my I.D. in my other flight suit" probably wasn't going to work. Dammit.

"We won't know unless we try," I replied, not believing a word out of my mouth.

**-FFVII-**

Monsters. Monsters-bloody-fucking-everywhere! Bill was not lying when he said that they would increase in numbers the closer we got to Midgar. The little bastard could, however, have warned us that they would increase _exponentially_. Then again, the farmer probably didn't even have that word in his vocabulary.

He also failed to mention the different _kinds_ of monsters we'd run into. Not only were little rolling porcupine things following us, probably waiting for us to fall off our Chocobos or something, but there were giant, black wolf creatures, ugly emu things—unlike Chocobos, which are chickens—and the occasional motorcycle...thing. Yes, there were motorcycle creatures on Gaia. I'm not even going to stress how seriously messed up that was.

"You don't think any of them will try to knock us off, do you?" Ronnie asked as our Chocobos walked closely together.

We had been running, but after about three good dashes the Chocobos were plum to pooped to run _at all_ anymore. It would have helped to know that they had something akin to an exhaustion meter. Though, I guess it was to be expected considering how every animal gets tired _eventually_.

"No," I replied.

"..."

"At least, I don't think. They shouldn't. Bill said we were pretty safe as long as we stayed on the Chocobos."

"And what if we fall off?" Ronnie asked staring at me.

"... In the unlikelihood that one of us fall off, it is the duty of the other one to snatch that person off the ground before they get eaten, squished, or ran over."

"What if both of us fall off?"

Why was he even asking that? What was the likelihood? I mean, come on. Really.

"Then we run like hell."

"We don't have a map, which way do we run?"

I mechanically turned my head to face him with a blank look. "There's a freakin' road right below our feet! What do you mean, 'Which way do we run?'"

Ronnie busted into laughter, tears rolling down his face. Oh, that little cracker. He had been joking with me all along and I had failed to notice it. I _hated_ when he did that. Almost as bad as when Lance used to lie to me with a straight face and I would never catch on until he had to finally tell me, 'I'm joking.' It was times like those that I felt like the biggest dumb ass in the world, despite what my school grades said.

"Alright, smart ass," I huffed pulling my Chocobo away from his, "just for that, I'll leave you to get picked off whenever you fall."

Ronnie continued to laugh, wiping the tears from his eyes with the palms of his hands. I glared over at him which only caused him to start laughing and crying again. Fuck you, Ronnie. Fuck you...

Looking up ahead I could tell that we were exiting the small canyon we had been traveling in. The sides were getting closer and closer while at the same time losing their height. More than likely there was a clearing up ahead waiting for us, and I had the feeling that waiting in that clearing, just around the coming bend, was Midgar. Wonderful Midgar. Where my sweet, dear plane was waiting for me.

Sure enough, after taking a left we not only exited the canyon, but we could _finally_ see the city we had been looking for. We hadn't made it far from the canyon mouth before something caught my attention. It had streaked by on my right side. Everything I learned in training kicked in, and I immediately jerked my head in that direction. Nothing was there. I narrowed my eyes.

I waited for a few seconds before continuing on, Ronnie already a few strides ahead of me. I knew there were a lot of monsters around and that they usually did not bother Chocobos, but something still felt off. Or, maybe it was just I was on edge.

Dammit! My head whipped around the other way and I stared off towards the left. I knew I had just seen something! I was _not _losing my mind. _Something_ was out there and it was stalking us.

"What is it?" Ronnie asked, not really interested.

I glared at the space in front of me, then turned back around, "Nothing..."

If I saw it again, I swore to myself that I was going to chase after it. The monsters were bad enough when they walked around casually. I did not need one of them finally deciding that they were hungry, and that we would make great dinners.

A snarl.

That was all I heard before I was suddenly flying head over heels in the air.

"Sonya!"

I grunted as I hit the ground, tumbling over and over twice before skidding to a stop. I heard Bonny cry out in distress and then her crazed stamping as she took off running. Rolling my head over, world spinning as I did so, I could just make out her yellow form darting back the way we came. The damn bird was going back to the farm!

"Sonya!" Ronnie shouted at me again.

"Stay on the fucking Chocobo!" I screamed.

Quickly, I pushed myself onto my hands and knees and tried to clear my head. Falling off a Chocobo was definitely something I did not want to experience again. I could feel a dull throbbing in my right arm and I could slightly feel blood trailing down it under my suit. Whatever had attacked me must have grabbed my arm and yanked me off my Chocobo. That ruled out the spikes, emus, and the motorcycles.

"Three o'clock!"

I yanked my head to the right. A wolf. One of those big, black wolves had finally decided to take a chance and snatch a Chocobo rider for a meal. Oh, it was going to pay for that. I didn't need a gun to take the little pipsqueak out. I could crush its skull with my foot if I had to. Granted I would have to jump up and down a few times to do that, but the threat remained.

It snarled at me and charged. Dumb move. Never charge at someone when they can see you coming, that gives them ample time to dodge. Ronnie was screaming at me to do all kinds of things. Get up. Run. Get on the fucking Chocobo now. But, I paid no attention to him and focused on dodge rolling away from this crazed animal.

It missed, naturally. However, I had misjudged its agility and in no time flat it was already turning around for another go. Holy freaking crap, I'm screwed. I tried to get up, but only managed to shift my weight before the creature was upon me, teeth bared. It knocked me to the ground causing my knapsack's contents to dig into my back. Instincts kicked in and I brought my hands up to protect my face. The wolf's top jaw collided roughly with my right hand, cutting into it. On reflex, my right hand closed around its top jaw while my left went for the bottom. Yes, its claws were starting to dig into my suit trying to connect with flesh, but I was more worried about the sharp teeth mere inches from my face to care.

One second it was on me, snarling and trying to bite, and then the next I felt it ripped away from me and watched as its black fur quickly left my vision. I heard a thud and a whimper but before I could tell where it had landed, something grabbed a hold of the back of my shirt and yanked me right up off the ground.

"Oof!" I grunted as my stomach connected with a Chocobo's saddle. Well, that explained a lot.

"Hold on!" Ronnie shouted as he kicked into Demon's sides.

_Hold on to what?_ Was the thought that passed through my mind as the bird took off at dashing speed. I bounced painfully with each stride as I lay sideways on Ronnie's saddle.

"Dammit! _Bounce. _Why couldn't you- _bounce_ -have pulled me up- _bounce _-the right way!" I screamed.

Ronnie didn't answer me as he was too busy concentrating on avoiding various obstacles in our path. I couldn't see them as we approached them, since I was staring at the ground and Demon's feet as he ran, but I could see them when we passed. It seemed that the clearing to Midgar wasn't as clear as it looked before. There were a lot of rocks and boulders... Really rocky boulders... and spiky things. There were a lot of spiky things. Oh, look a blood trail. That was not a good thing to be seeing.

"Ronnie!" I shouted out to him. He didn't even slow down. "RONNIE!"

"What?" He nearly screeched, "I'm trying to live here!"

"I'm bleeding!"

"So?"

"They can probably follow the smell, genius!" I growled at him.

Well, that worked in getting his attention because I heard him swear, but other than that he didn't do anything to aid me in this issue. Not much he could do. He _could_ have pulled me up normally into the saddle so I could hold my arm and at least _try_ to mask the smell of blood but it seemed like he was too busy to even attempt that. I didn't suppose he had any band-aids on him, either. What was that anime rule I saw years ago? Band-aids heal everything?

The potion! That had to be what the potion was for! After all, Bill did tell us to use it in case of an emergency, and I was pretty sure the situation counted as an emergency. However, there was no way in Oklahoma I was going to reach my hand behind my back and try to fish it out of my bag. That increased my risk of falling off and, as I've said before, I did _not_ want to do that again.

"Ronnie, get the potion out of my bag," I gasped as I hit the saddle one more time.

"What?" He asked as if I was crazy.

"Potion. Bag. _Now_."

The bag zipped loudly as Ronnie yanked the drawstring open. I gasped as I saw the food fall out and towards the ground.

"No!" I screeched reaching for it. I missed.

"Dammit, Ronnie!"

"Gah!" Ronnie shouted as he yanked Demon's reins. The bird took a hard left causing me to nearly fall off, _again._

"There are birds chasing me!" Ronnie yelled.

"POTION!" I shouted back.

I didn't give a damn about the birds! If the idiot would just have hurried up and given me the potion, which I guessed would heal me _somehow_, then maybe I could have prevented us from drawing anymore nasties. I felt Ronnie roughly shove his hand into my knapsack and the potion's weight leave it.

"Here!" He screamed thrusting it beside my head.

I quickly snatched it. The liquid inside the clear bottle was a strange blue color. Ignoring that fact, I bit into the corked top, ripped it out, spit it out, and then took as good as a swig as I could manage given my jarring motion.

"Bleh!" I said making a face.

That stuff was terrible! Ok, it wasn't the worst thing I had had to drink before but ew. My right arm and hand began to tingle. My eyes widened and I dropped the bottle as I saw what was happening. My injuries were indeed healing themselves—from the inside out. I gawked as I saw the muscle and flesh piece itself back together and whatever blood had leaked out of my body instantly dry.

"Oh my God, ew!" I screeched.

Yeah, okay, it healed me. I was healthy again. No more blood smell to attract monsters. But, that was officially one of the most disgusting things I had ever seen my body do. I wasn't able to relay my horrifying yet wonderful experience to Ronnie. One second we were on Demon, the next we were tumbling head over heels on the ground. I was really starting to hate that.

Amazingly, nothing of mine broke upon impact with the ground, all five times I hit it, and I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees once again. Oh, shit. Even though the world was still spinning I could see that one of the emu things had a hold of Ronnie by his knapsack. That was not good...

"Ronnie!" I cried out.

Shoving myself off the ground, I ran at the giant bird. Noticing my approach it let go of Ronnie's bag just in time to get my elbow in its ribs. I was pretty sure my elbow got hurt more than its ribs did. Ronnie, seeing his chance to escape, did, and he took off running towards the gates of Midgar. Which, now that I was not staring at the ground, I noticed were _very_ close. So close that I could see the guard watching us in total shock.

At least, I was pretty sure it was total shock. His head was covered with this bizarre looking helmet that had three glowing lights where the eyes should be, but his mouth was in the traditional 'o' shape. Yeah, I was pretty sure that classified it under 'total shock'.

I shoved the bird with all my might, which wasn't much given the weight difference, and took off running towards the gates. I was a good ten or twelve feet behind Ronnie which meant if the bird was still hungry, it would be coming after me. And that was when I saw it. The fucking guard had a damn _rifle_ leaning up against his leg. Dumb ass could have been shooting instead of gawking.

"Shoot the damn bird!" I screeched hoarsely.

That must have snapped the man out of whatever trance he was in because his hands immediately found their way to his gun. He brought it up to his face, butt resting against his shoulder, and aimed...at me. I was almost seven feet from this guy by now, Ronnie already on the ground beside him, what the hell was he thinking? That I was an intruder and needed to be taken out while the Emu From Hell was no problem and it could go about its lovely little day? Hell no, I did not think so.

"The bird, you fucking moron, THE BIRD!"

This time he actually listened to what I had to say. Quickly, he altered his line of sights from me to the emu creature. He fired just as I passed him, which instantly made my left ear ring, and I collapsed to the ground beside Ronnie. Out of my good ear I could hear a few more shots. I turned around and watched as the emu took three great strides towards us before taking a bullet to the head and finally collapsing to the ground dead.

Jeezus, what were those things made out of? The guard turned around and looked at Ronnie and me. Ronnie was already sitting Indian style on the ground trying to catch his breath; while I, on the other hand was trying to keep from collapsing.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I breathed.

"Uh..." The guard flinched at my outburst.

"We could have been killed and you just stood there with your _gun_ and watched! When you could have been saving us!" I continued.

The guard looked away sheepishly. Wait, he did what? Yes, he just looked away sheepishly. Military personnel are not supposed to act that way! Not on the battlefield, at least. What the hell did Shin-Ra teach these idiots?

"You looked like you were from Wutai..." He mumbled.

My mouth fell open as I stared at him in disbelief. I quickly shoved myself off the ground, growling as I did so, and stood straight up in front of the man. His hand instinctively tightened around his gun, but I was too close. Not unless he was smart enough to think of pistol-whipping me with it, it was useless at that close of a range.

"Does it _look_ like we're from Wutai _now_?"

"Well," he muttered, "no..."

"DAMN RIGHT, NO!"

"Saan, give the man a break," Ronnie cut in.

Both me and the guard turned to stare at him. I glared. Anger and frustration. That was what I was feeling and I was having a wonderful time letting it loose on this unsuspecting soldier. Why did he have to go and ruin that?

"It's been a long day for both of us. Let's just get in and do what we came here to do," Ronnie finished, looking up at me.

I growled but decided to shut my mouth anyway. The guard, realizing the former conflict was resolved, quickly went about doing his appointed duties. Which consisted of interrogating all those who entered Midgar, apparently.

He snapped to attention, rifle by his side and barked out, "What business do you have in Midgar?"

I blinked, then blinked again, "We're going to the Shin-Ra Building."

"To look for a job," Ronnie quickly threw in.

The guard deflated before our eyes, "Oh, gosh. You're not going to report this to the boss are you?"

I sneered. Oh, this was perfect. Little soldier boy didn't want to be fired. I had to resist the urge to giggle with glee.

"Should we?" Ronnie asked. Ooooh, teasing. This was getting good.

"No!" The guard said quickly, spinning around to face Ronnie. "I mean, no. There weren't any serious altercations today so, I see no reason for this incident to be reported."

"You pointed a gun at me," I replied calmly.

The guard spun back around, "And I humbly apologize for that, ma'am! It'll never happen again!"

I smirked while folding my arms. _Of course it won't, _I thought devilishly, _because I'm never going to see you again. But, for now, I'm going to enjoy your distress._

"Alright then," Ronnie said getting off the ground and dusting himself off, "are you going to let us in?"

The guard saluted, "Right away, sir!"

He ran over to the giant door with the number '06' printed on it in big white letters, fumbled around in his pocket, and pulled out a card key. Well, what do you know; they used the same kind of crap as we did on Earth. Yay, more coincidences I did not want to think about. After swiping the key, the door came to life. Ronnie and I stood back to get a better look at it as it slowly slid open.

It was slow. It was slow, and it was very thick. I could safely assume that the entire outer wall of Midgar was thick to keep monsters and enemies out. Now that we were closer, I could finally understand what Bill meant when he said 'plate.' Midgar did, in fact, have a plate consisting of giant slabs of metal and concrete that were suspended up in the air by God knows what. It was impossible to see anything on top of those plates from this angle, but I was sure there were probably more houses and things. If the Shin-Ra Building was _on top_ of the plate, what was stopping other buildings from being there, too?

When the door had finally opened all the way, the guard stood off to the side and stood at attention once again. I raised a brow at the spectacle. First, he's a blundering oaf, then he's all spic-and-span soldier man. Shrugging off the guy's constantly changing behavior I walked forward and into the city. Ronnie stopped long enough to thank the man by giving him some gil, and then quickly followed.

"Well," he said, "that was fun."

I barked out a laugh.

**-FFVII-**

Wall Market. We were in part six of Midgar which was also known as Wall Market. How did I know? Because we passed a sign not too far back that announced it to the world in big, neon letters. In fact, almost everything in this particular part was neon signs accompanied by an occasional provocative ad. I was pretty sure we had just found the Las Vegas part of Gaia. I wished we hadn't.

The amount of cat calls I received were forgotten after I ran out of fingers to count them on. I didn't even bother to use my toes, they were too busy getting me the heck through this place and to a map. Of course, if I was honest with myself, I _did_ look like I was asking for such behavior. I _did_ have giant gash marks in my suit that could easily be classified as a 'fashion statement.' Why couldn't potions heal clothing, too?

Yet _another_ wolf whistle.

"I think he likes you," Ronnie droned. It seemed he had finally run out of witty remarks to say.

I looked back at the guy we had just passed. He was not looking at me.

"Actually, I think he likes you," I said quietly.

Ronnie perked up, "Really? Where?"

I laughed. "He's already gone. He turned down that path back there."

"Dude, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Ronnie whined.

I cocked my head at him, "You've been here a week. Cool your jets."

Ronnie pouted, "But who knows when the next space rock's going to come down and kill us all?"

"You jinx us, I kill you," I replied casting him a sideways glance.

We made it past a few more buildings and a shop for something I didn't want to think too much about before I came to the conclusion that we were lost. Come to think of it, we were never _found_ to begin with. Without thinking, we had simply walked into Midgar and _assumed_ that the train would drop from the heavens allowing us to climb aboard to the Shin-Ra Building. Yet another brilliant move made by yours truly.

"Hey, sweet thing."

"Dear God, they won't stop," I grumbled, slapping my hand against my forehead.

I turned around to see a not-too-attractive teenage boy walking over to me. My mouth nearly dropped. Oh, so now I had minors hitting on me? Well, that was just lovely. I resisted the urge to scream and run in the opposite direction. A plan. A plan was developing within my mind, and the poor child was going to be the unfortunate victim of it.

We had no I.D.s. The only thing we did have were a few pieces of gil, thanks to Ronnie's tipping skills, and a potion or two in Ronnie's knapsack. The kid more than likely had an I.D. on him. He was about to be robbed.

I smiled sweetly at him, "Hello."

"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" He asked.

_What's a boy like you trying to pick up women like me?_ I almost countered, but decided to keep my mouth shut. I did not have any right to judge this kid, though I couldn't help but wonder what his parents had been teaching him. Did his parents even know where he was? Putting those thoughts aside I went back to my plan.

"Oh, just thought I'd go out for a stroll around the town," I replied. "What about you?"

Ronnie cocked an eyebrow at this. He had no idea what I was planning on doing, and for him, my behavior was very unusual, indeed. I wasn't one to go and start flirting with strange men, let alone _boys_, that I did not know. That was a given considering I had ignored all the other ones who had commented me on my outfit…or how well I looked in it. I ignored his stare.

The boy sneered, "The same. Want to go get a drink?"

Resisting the urge for one of my own eyebrows to rise (how young was this kid and what was the drinking age on Gaia?), I tried to give my best damn seductive smile…which probably wasn't a decent one since I was not knowledgeable in the art of 'flaunting oneself.' Seduction is hard to pull off for a tomboy.

"Only if you're buying."

The boy's face lit up. He had just 'scored' with a woman who was at least six years older than him. I figured he was going to have a hell of a story to tell his buddies whenever he got back home. Too bad he was going to be missing his I.D. when he did so.

"Uh, Saan?" Ronnie asked. I could tell by the tone of voice that he was fearing for my sanity.

I nearly died laughing. The boy gave him a look with such anger and jealousy I thought he could slice the air with it. I was his woman, Ronnie could fuck the hell off before he got his face beat in. I decided to play along with it.

"What?" I growled.

Ronnie blinked in confusion. Why was I yelling at him? However, the trick worked. The boy was now looking at me expectantly. He probably figured that Ronnie was an old boyfriend or something, and that if I was going to shoo Ronnie off, he'd have my complete and undivided attention.

"Uh…nothing, I guess?" Ronnie asked.

I glared at him then walked over to the boy and took his arm in my own, "Come on, let's get out of here."

The poor, ignorant fool. This kid was extremely too trusting. Ok, so maybe he was being fueled by hormones and decided to ignore the fact that I was leading him towards an alleyway, but honestly. We quickly turned the corner. I have no idea what this kid thought I was going to do in an _alleyway_ of all places, but he probably wasn't expecting me to throw him up against a wall.

"What—?" He tried to ask me before my knee quickly thrust its way between his legs…hard.

Naturally, the boy doubled over in pain, but before he could scream, I thrust my knee up into his stomach, and then struck him over the back of the head with my closed fists. He hit the ground and knew no more. That took care of that problem. Now all I had to do was snatch his I.D. from his wallet and give it to Ronnie.

"Ronnie!" I called out to him, leaning my head out from behind the wall.

I wasn't half surprised to see him still standing where I left him, dumbfounded. He turned around at the sound of my voice, "What?"

"Get over here!" I commanded.

"… I thought you would want some privacy to-"

"Get over here, _now,_" I growled. He did not want to finish that sentence.

Hesitantly, Ronnie made his way over to where I was standing. His eyes widened when he noticed the unconscious body.

"What did you _do_?" He asked looking at me with uncertainty.

"I kicked his ass so we could take his I.D., what does it look like I did?" I replied calmly.

I bent down and started to rummage through his back pockets. No wallet. Ok, front pockets' turn. Bingo. Yanking the battered piece of leather out of his pants' pocket, I quickly began to thumb through it. I had no idea what a Shin-Ra I.D. was going to look like, but I figured it would probably be the thing that had his name and photograph on it.

"I don't know you anymore…" Ronnie half-whimpered.

I looked at him with a blank expression. It was the only way we would be safe to get on the train. Even if the I.D. had a photograph on it, at least Ronnie _somewhat_ resembled the poor man who was lying face down on the ground. We could get by with saying that he had grown up some since the last photo was taken, or something…

I finally found the I.D., a small piece of plastic with, sure enough, a photo, name, address, and all that wonderful stuff, and pocketed it, then shoved the boy's wallet back where I found it. Ronnie made a face.

"You're a lousy thief," He remarked.

"Why?" I asked, not really caring.

"If you're going to rob him, at _least_ take his money. We could use that."

I glared at him. I wasn't doing what I was because I _wanted_ to; I was doing it because I _needed_ to. Call me a hypocrite, but I didn't consider myself a thief. Sure, I was taking the kid's identity, but nothing else. I didn't _need_ anything else. In fact, somewhere in the back of my mind I probably suspected that after we were done using it, I'd mail it back to him. Maybe throw in a 'Get Well Soon' card for good measure.

"I'm not going to take his money, Ronnie," I finally responded, "Now, grab his feet."

"What? Why?" Ronnie asked.

"Grab his feet…" I reiterated.

Ronnie sighed but walked over to us. I got behind the kid, placed my arms under his, and lifted him up. Ronnie followed suit by picking up his feet, and we began carting the boy off. We didn't get far. I caught a familiar looking uniform out of the corner of my eye and froze. Turning around I saw exactly what I dreaded to see.

A guard had just rounded the bin and was in the process of stopping us. I had to admit, our situation did not look good. There we were, standing in the middle of an alleyway holding an unconscious teenager as if we were up to no good. We _weren't_ up to any good, but the guard didn't have to know that.

"Officer!" I shouted at him urgently, "Thank god you're here!"

Well, he definitely hadn't been expecting _that._ Most suspects tended to run away whenever the cops showed up, they didn't greet them with open arms and give them cake for their troubles.

"What's going on here?" The man barked.

"This poor man just collapsed!" Ronnie jumped in. Good. He was onto my plan.

The officer frowned and walked his way over to us, "Are you sure _you_ weren't the ones to cause him to collapse?"

Damn. The guard wasn't as dense as the first one we had encountered.

"No! Does it look like we did?" Ronnie exclaimed.

"We were just passing by when we heard something hit the ground _hard_. We were afraid someone was getting mugged! When we checked, we found this kid lying face down on the ground!" I shouted in hysterics.

Television was a wonderful thing. It taught one many handy skills that would aid him/her later on in life. Like self-defense and acting skills—commonly known as fighting and lying. The guard stared at us hard. He wasn't quick to believe the shit we were cooking up. He was probably more experienced. That was good. I loved to see cops and soldiers who knew how to do their job. I just wished he didn't have to do it with me.

"Why are you just standing there?" I asked quickly.

The guard jumped a little, "Uh..."

"This guy needs help, do something!" Ronnie shouted.

"What's going on over there?"

"Did something happen?"

"Is somebody hurt?"

It was like a tidal wave of concerned citizens had shown up out of nowhere, and all of them were trying to 'rubberneck' the scene before them. The guard had his hands tied now. He was forced to interrogate us like he _should_ do and then see to the fallen teenager, or be a good boy and appease the masses by showing concern for the public—attend to the boy first, and _then_ ask us questions. I chose his options for him.

"Oh my gosh, take him!" I said as I shoved the boy at the guard.

The guard fumbled with the body for a second before finally getting a hold of him. Ronnie quickly let go of the boy's feet and took off running. Ok, _that_ I had not calculated on. Don't leave me here, you bastard!

"I'll go get help!" he exclaimed over his shoulder, passing me a look.

"... Wait!" I called after him, "You don't know your way!"

"Halt!" The guard exclaimed, "Get back here!"

No chance in hell was I going to turn around and get busted. That guard had no choice now but to take care of the boy and probably get a statement of some kind. By the time he did all that, we would be long gone and there would be no one left to chase.

Ronnie and I weaved our way in and out of pedestrians and streets. Who knew it could be so cramped in such a giant city as Midgar? Cramped and stuffy. The air down below the plate was _awful. _Of course, it stood to reason it would be since Shin-Ra seemed dumb enough not to install something that even resembled a ventilation system. But I digress.

Tiring of running, I snatched a hold of Ronnie's suit collar and dived into the building beside us. We stood by the door catching our breath. I paused and looked up. Tables, clinking of glass, bar counter, and a man behind said counter polishing shot glasses and giving us a look. I always managed to find the _best_ places to hide in. I'm not even sure if I was being sarcastic or not.

I straightened up. I had to at least _try_ to look normal. Again, that was a little hard to do with my suit ripped in places. Ronnie stood up and looked around.

"Now what are we going to do?" He asked quietly.

I didn't answer him, and instead walked over to the bar and sat down. Ronnie took the chair next to me.

"Anything I can get you two?" The bar keep asked. He was still eying us suspiciously.

"No, thank you," I replied.

"Actually, do you have a-"

"No, thank you," I almost growled glaring at Ronnie.

The bar keep shrugged and went to attend a customer a little further down the table. Ronnie was giving me this look. The best translation would be, 'I was almost just arrested by a cop from another planet, why can't I have a drink?'

"You don't even know how much they cost, or if we can afford them," I remarked.

"We have two hundred gil," he replied.

"We _had_ two hundred gil. One hundred apiece. How much did you give that soldier?"

"...fifty."

I sighed and let my head hit the counter with a loud thud. Great. By that time, we had _way_ less money than we had started out with. That was just perfect. Good going there, Ronnie.

"Well, _sor-ry_, but I was expecting us to already be at the Shin-Ra building by now," he huffed.

Frankly, I had, too. I had underestimated the time it would take to get through Midgar, even with its huge size. I could have never guessed such a big city was really tiny and maze like on the inside. Surely the top wasn't as crowded as the bottom. If it was, I feared we would never get there.

"Heh, you don't know where the Shin-Ra building is?"

I turned my head, forehead still resting on the counter, to see who it was that had spoken. A young man with bright red hair, red tattoos under his eyes, and wearing a blue-ish black business suit was sitting two chairs over from us, a glass of alcohol in his hand. So far, that man was the most intriguing character I had met. His hair was unkempt, yet stylish, and his shirt was left a little undone. He seemed to carry a bit of 'style' around him that much was for certain.

"We're not from here," I droned. "We're from Rocket Town."

The man blinked and frowned.

"Kinda far away from home, aren't ya?" He asked swirling his drink around in its cup.

One day I was going to have to find a world map and find out just where the hell Rocket Town was because there were _a lot_ of people remarking how far away it was. It was really starting to get on my nerves. I opened my mouth to respond, but the man shrugged and continued.

"What do I care? I'm on my break," he took a drink. "The Shin-Ra building's on the plate."

I blinked and stared at him. Oh, really now? Was it?

"We knew that," Ronnie piped in. "We can't find a way there."

"Take the train."

"We can't find the train," I whined.

The man cocked his head to the side and gave us a look.

"You have got to be kidding me," he said, "You come to Midgar looking for Shin-Ra when you don't even know how to get there. Talk about a bunch of morons."

"With all the trash here, we can't find anything. I can't tell what's supposed to be a playground and what someone's living in, except the stink is different," Ronnie shot back.

The stranger laughed loudly.

"I guess you're right about that," he said. "The Slums are horrid compared to life up on the plate. I only come down here when I have a job to do, or because I want a drink." He paused and grinned lopsidedly at us, "The booze is cheaper down here."

So, the place was called the Slums, as in capital 'S'. That seemed fitting enough, what with the trash, smell, and smoggy air. The sky couldn't even be seen for Chrissake! Why would anyone want to live down here? Then again, they probably didn't do it willingly. Most of the people we had passed seemed to be pretty poor judging by their clothes. I would have figured that all of Gaia was like that if Mr. Suit hadn't shown up. One probably needed a decent amount of money to live up on the plate. I wondered what the guy's job was.

"Anyways, I'm feeling generous today," the man said taking another drink. "You can catch the train in Sector 7 at the station."

Catch a train at a train station. Wow. That didn't seem like that bad of an idea. The reason I hadn't thought of that sooner? I honestly did not know. There really didn't seem like many other places one would find a train. With that lovely revelation in mind, I stood up and walked away from the counter. I was going to find that fucking train station if it killed me. Ronnie, catching the hint that it was time to go, got up and followed after me.

"Though... I wouldn't mind knowing what business you have with Shin-Ra."

I looked back at the man and hesitated. I thought he didn't care... He was on his 'break', whatever that meant. I was starting to think that the topic of Shin-Ra was a touchy subject no matter where I went. Perhaps we should refrain from bringing it up anymore to avoid drawing suspicion towards ourselves. Ronnie decided to dig our way out of this one using the same excuse he had used last time.

"We're looking for jobs," he said matter-of-factly. Should I have been worried that he was so accustomed to lying?

The man grinned around his glass. He set it down on the counter and the bar keep immediately came over to refill it.

"Is that so?" he asked smirking, "Then tell them Reno sent you. I'm sure they'll give you a job."

I could feel the hair on the back of my neck bristling. That explained why this man had such a spiffy suit. He worked for damn Shin-Ra! Note to self: Stay away from any other people wearing suits. The situation I found myself in was going to cause problems. One of Shin-Ra's employees knew what we looked like. I could just see Ronnie and I standing in a line-up of criminals and the red-headed man pointing at us, beer glass still in hand, shouting, 'That's them!' If I hadn't been so terrified of getting caught, I would have laughed.

The man seemed to be a bit of a smartass. Based on that, I decided to play with it. Act like a friendly person and you stood a decent chance of getting on someone's good side. If we left him with a good impression, maybe we wouldn't be in that line-up after all...

This time I smirked, "You sure do seem full of yourself."

Reno laughed again before turning around to face the counter, "What are you talking about? I'm the best they've got."

Ronnie went to comment and, though I could tell he was only going to joke, we didn't have time. We had to get out of there and fast. I grabbed a hold of his wrist and dragged him away. Once outside, I let him go.

"How good are you at pick-pocketing?" I asked suddenly.

"Stealing from more people?" Ronnie replied, folding his arms and leaning against the wall.

I gave him a dark look. I didn't like calling it that, but that _was_ what I was planning on doing.

"Yes," I hissed. "How good are you at pick-pocketing?"

"Better than you are. Remember that one time I stole a pen from a cop...right underneath his nose? I've gotten better," he sneered.

I rolled my eyes. It seemed Ronnie's bad habits hadn't died down since the last time we had met back on Earth. I did not find that a comforting thought.

"Want me to go steal _you_ an I.D. now?"

"Yes," I replied quickly.

"I'll try to pick someone hot," he snickered before starting to walk off.

"The hell you will!" I shouted after him. "They have to at least _look_ like me!"

Ronnie waved a hand over his shoulder to tell me he understood, then disappeared into the crowd. I sighed, pressed my back against the concrete wall, and slowly slid down it. He and I were in for a long ride, I could tell. The fire that had been driving me onward was slowly dying out and I was beginning to give up. Plans always seemed good in the planning stage, but whenever they were put into action something always seemed to fuck them all up.

I waited by that wall for nearly ten minutes. Ten minutes that I was left with only my thoughts. I wasn't too surprised to find them depressing and dark and all around not full of much hope. I missed only having to think, 'I must get my damn plane back!' Instead, now, I was stuck with, 'How are we going to find the train?' 'What are we going to do after we get there?' 'Will these stolen I.D.s actually work?' 'What is the Shin-Ra building going to be like?' 'Should I even be going to the Shin-Ra building?' I had half a mind to go back into the bar and steal Reno's drink. At that point it seemed like just as good of a time as any to start drinking.

I saw Ronnie coming back and pushed myself off the ground. It was time to stop thinking and start doing. If things didn't go the way I had planned then it didn't really matter. Humans were surprisingly adaptable creatures. We would just have to adapt and move on. Be that without a plane, without a home, or in prison.

Ronnie reached out, the I.D. held firmly in his hand—where I couldn't see it... I stared at him. He grinned at me. Him grinning was never a good thing when he was trying to hand someone something. Many people used to get a handful of gum back in school. Chewed gum...

I squinted at him. His grin grew wider. Yeah, I definitely wasn't going to like what he was about to give me. I extended my hand out anyway and he dropped the I.D. into it. He was smart enough to make it land face down, so I had to turn it around. I did not like what I saw.

The picture of the woman staring back at me had black hair that was cut short. She reminded me vaguely of the Aeon Flux woman. I did not look like the Aeon Flux woman. I had long, really dirty blonde hair that bordered on brown. There was no way in hell any guard would believe that the woman on this I.D., Miriam was her name, was me.

"Ronnie," I said calmly, "this does not look like me."

"I know!" Ronnie exclaimed, all smiles, "but at least now you have the incentive to get your hair cut like the Aeon Flux chick."

I gave him a blank look. I couldn't even respond to that. Pocketing the I.D. anyway, I turned around and walked away. Ronnie followed. After a few moments of silence, Ronnie spoke up.

"You're not going to get an Aeon Flux haircut, are you?" He asked.

"No," I replied.

He dropped the subject after that. As we walked we passed a sign that just _happened_ to tell us which way Sector 7 was. Wouldn't you know it? It was located right beside Sector 6! Wow... Now that we had a good clue as to which way we were supposed to be going, it didn't take us long to get there. Having finally gotten tired of being lost, I decided to stop and force Ronnie into asking an old man nearby how to get to the train station. I hated talking to strangers.

The man pointed us off in the right direction and we went on our way without another word. Once we made it to the station, it was obvious how someone like me could have missed it. It didn't look like much of a station. Not like the stations on Earth, anyway. Most train stations, or subway stations, had tons of people crowded around a tiny little platform waiting to get on the approaching vehicle. Those stations also used to be very big or underground. This station was none of those. It was simply a little platform next to some train tracks with two or three people standing around waiting and what looked like a ticket person nearby.

I pulled Ronnie aside before we got to the platform.

"Here," I said. I reached into my pocket, pulled out the boy's I.D. from earlier, and handed it to him.

Ronnie took it and gave it a once over. His eyebrow raised, "I like how you give me an I.D. that has the name of my cousin on it."

"Oh, whatever," I groaned while waving a hand in dismissal, "it'll still work. If the guy asks for our I.D.s then just say that your picture was taken a few years ago, and I'll say that I'm wearing a wig...or was wearing a wig...or something like that."

"That sounds like a _very_ good idea," Ronnie remarked sarcastically.

"Well, it's not my fault you chose someone who didn't look like me!" I yelled.

The people hanging around the platform gave Ronnie and I strange looks. I stared at them, causing them to go about their business. Ronnie laughed.

"True. True. So, when does the train get here?" He asked.

Like I should have known the answer to that question.

"The train will be here in five minutes!" The man in the red outfit, the aforementioned ticket salesman, shouted.

"Wow," I said looking at Ronnie. "We got damn good timing, don't we?"

"Apparently," Ronnie replied nodding.

We both walked onto the platform and stood, waiting for the train that would carry us to the top plate. Then, from the top plate, we would make our way towards the Shin-Ra building. I was pretty certain that I wouldn't need a map to get to that particular place. Big, huge building sitting smack dab in the center of the city. Only a blind person could miss a thing like that.

**A/N: If you've actually reached this author's note, I commend you. The ending seemed a little rushed to me; but, perhaps you thought it couldn't come soon enough. It seems I'm trying to do too many things in one chapter. But, it's only because I know what I want to say, and have so little time to say it...and so little patience to write it. Especially after reading twenty-five pages in **_**Management and Supervision in Law Enforcement**_**. Gag me with a sock, and after you're doing that, I would appreciate to hear your thoughts in the form of a 'Review.' Thank you.**

_**Edit: Wow, this is old. Not like old-old, but it was my first semester of college… I'm a sophomore now.**_


	4. Stairs

**A/N: I have returned, with more reviews =D. This time you guys get, dumdumdum, magical, virtual pizzas! They change their toppings to whatever you want. Amazing, no? **

**About this chapter, I am not very well acquainted with Before Crisis, so I might be a little off on a particular Turk I mention from there. You might be wondering why Before Crisis is in here if the summary says Crisis Core. Well, that's simple. They take place at nearly the same time. Just a different branch of Shin-Ra. And, **_**yes**_**, the Crisis Core gang will make their appearance...eventually. I won't tell you when. Muah hahaha.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, Chrysler, Death Note, or a proper Shin-Ra I.D. However, I do own this plot and knowledge about what Tseng's head jewel is called -nod-.**

_**Edited on 18 Sept 2010 for errors and goofs.**_

We had been sitting on the train for a few minutes, lounging around in a bench next to the window. I had been a little shocked when I first got on. I was expecting it to be the same as 'normal' trains in America; the ones that usually had two seats perpendicular with the window and an aisle for people to walk up and down. This train, however, seemed to be more like a subway car. The ones I was only ever familiar with from seeing them in Japanese anime.

When we got on, the 'ticket person' didn't even ask for one, nor our I.D.s. I guessed he was just there to observe who got on and off the trains. Kind of like a bodyguard. A very skinny bodyguard that watched over trains. That would be an interesting career. 'What do you do for a living?' 'Oh, I bodyguard trains!' How far the mighty have fallen...especially if I was thinking of such spastic stuff as _that_.

I leaned my head back and gazed out the window. The scenery was flashing past at a quick pace. If one could call it scenery. Sure, there were buildings and tunnels (lots of tunnels), but that was about it. No trees. No flowers. No plants of any kind. Just one giant, depressing wall of _grey_. Grey and black. I was starting to miss the Chocobo Farm.

Ok, no, no I wasn't. I would not go that far. If I started wishing to go back there I was going to commit myself to the local shrink ward. Or 'happy place' as my family learned to call it. It was where we sent my great-grandfather...God rest his soul. And all the other six billion that were most likely dead on a smoldering planet some light years away.

Was Earth even light years away from Gaia? It would have to be, wouldn't it? If one took into consideration the fact that scientists had not found signs of life in our solar system, then they would have to be farther out, which most likely meant light years. Yeah, we _could_ have been light years away from Earth right then... Or, maybe they're simply located in two different dimensions. What were the odds on that, and how could that...portal..._thing_...have teleported us through space and time to-.

_Grawr._

I blinked, my train of thought broken, and slowly turned to look at Ronnie. He was holding his stomach, an embarrassed expression clearly on his face.

"Was that your stomach?" I asked, though I knew without a doubt it was.

"Yesh. I haven't eaten anything all day," he replied.

News flash, I hadn't either. Except the breakfast Bill shoved down our throats. But, that had been a few hours ago, and hunger was slowly working its way back into my system. It seemed it had already made it into Ronnie's.

"Well, I would give you some food, but considering how you dumped all ours out..." I trailed off.

"Shaddup!" Ronnie yelled, "I was saving your ass!"

I snickered. True, true, but the fact remained that we were without food. We had one potion left in Ronnie's knapsack, but that was it. I had decided to keep the food before we left thinking that Ronnie would probably eat it all before we got to Midgar if I didn't. Well, he definitely got rid of it before Midgar, but not in the way I had been expecting.

We lapsed back into silence as the grey world outside flashed by the open windows. It was starting to get lighter out, so I figured we were reaching the plate. The Slums had been dark, crowded, and full of bad air. I hoped that the plate would, if anything, at least be lighter. I could handle foul smells (one time I didn't wash my dog for months), and big crowds (comes with living in Florida), but darkness...Darkness was something I did not favor.

Don't get me wrong, I was not afraid of the dark. Twenty-two years old and having served in the military, during a war no less, kind of left me with no choice but to get over that. However, I was not a big fan of not being able to see more than a few feet in front of me. Not to mention that bad things tended to hide in the dark—wild animals, monsters, really nasty men up to no good.

The car became dark once again, ironically, as we passed through another tunnel. Midgar was quickly earning the nickname 'City of Tunnels' within my mind. It reminded me of that time Lance was telling Ronnie and I how to get from his house back to mine. The description had been short and simple: 'You go, and you go, and you go, and you go, take a left at the first bridge, then you go, and you go, and you go... You know what; just make sure you cross every bridge.' Over twelve bridges later Ronnie and I had the sneaky suspicion we had crossed every damn bridge known to man.

A friendly ding, if ding's can be classified as friendly, resounded through the cabin.

"Approaching checkpoint," a computerized voice announced.

I blinked. Checkpoint? There were checkpoints? I looked over at Ronnie and automatically knew he was thinking the same thing. We'd been best friends for eleven years now, so the 'hive mind' thing wasn't that unusual anymore.

"Um, Saan?" Ronnie asked. "What do you think they mean by checkpoint?"

I had no idea. The train wasn't slowing down so I knew they were not going to _stop_ and check us. Was someone going to walk around and check our I.D.s individually? That might cause problems. After all, I _still_ didn't look like the Aeon Flux chick, and Ronnie looked years older than the photograph he carried. 'Meep' would be an understatement.

"I have no ... idea," I said as I caught myself about to say 'earthly,' "I guess we'll just find out the hard way."

"Exactly how hard can this hard way be?" Ronnie asked.

"I don't know..."

Hopefully, the hard way did not lead us to doing hard time. We waited nervously as seconds passed. Nothing happened. No people were coming to check our I.D.s. Then just what the hell was the checkpoint thing doing?

"Checkpoint passed. All passengers cleared," the computer voice announced.

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. Well, that was good news...I thought.

"Okay, so, what happened?" Ronnie asked looking up at the ceiling, probably trying to find the speakers.

"I have no clue," I said. It occurred to me that I didn't know _a lot_ these days.

"But, if we're clear, that's a good thing right?"

"I really, _really_ hope so."

_Grawr._

I looked over at Ronnie smiling. He whimpered and grabbed his stomach.

"When we get off this train," he said, "the first place we're going is a food store."

"If we have enough money..." I cautioned.

Ronnie waited a second before nodding once, "If we have enough money."

**-FFVII-**

We didn't have enough money. Ok, we _did_ have enough money, but I was stingy when it came to those kinds of things and decided Ronnie could have his hot dog and I could starve. I had gone nearly all day without eating before; I could probably do it again. Probably. If I didn't do too many strenuous activities.

After we got off the train, it wasn't long before we found a food stand of sorts. It seemed that the top part of Midgar was a little more navigable than the Slums had been. It definitely wasn't as crowded. Then again, as I've stated before, one probably had to be very wealthy to live 'up top.' Or have good connections with the higher-uppers. And, given the fact Shin-Ra was the 'higher-upper,' I figured its employees probably lived on the plate, too. Not unless they decided to live in the Slums just for the hell of it. In that case, the fools might need their heads checked.

"You sure you don't want anything?" Ronnie asked before taking another bite of his food.

"I'm sure I don't want anything," I replied blankly.

"I can pay for you-."

"No."

"I feel bad when I'm over here eating and you're starving," Ronnie frowned.

"I'm not hungry."

Lies. I was hungry. In fact, I was slowly working my way towards 'very hungry.' But, I would get over it. The money was more important. We would need a place to stay for the night, I was almost sure of it, and that would cost money. If we couldn't afford it, I had no qualms over selling the potion in Ronnie's bag. I had a pretty good idea that we wouldn't need it in Midgar. I doubted monsters roamed the streets of humans.

"You know, " Ronnie continued, "we're going to need a map."

"No we won't," I replied.

"Yes, we will. If we want to get to the Shin-Ra building without getting lost."

I paused and looked at him. He stopped beside me and waited for me to say something. When I didn't, his eyebrow raised.

"What?" He asked.

I pointed at the Shin-Ra building that was clearly visible a few miles away, "I can see the Shin-Ra building from here. All we have to do is walk towards it. We can't get lost doing that."

Ronnie frowned, shoved the rest of the hot dog in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.

"Fine," he said, smacking his hands together to rid them of crumbs, "but I still say we should get a map _eventually_."

I turned and continued walking towards the oddly shaped building (seriously, what were those things poking out if its side?), "They probably have a map at Shin-Ra."

"Probably," Ronnie repeated in a doubtful tone.

I rolled my eyes and kept going. I wasn't in the mood for his unfounded worries. Everything would be better if I could just reach that damn building. The damn building owned by the damn company what stole my bloody plane. I scowled. More than anything, I wanted to barge in there and demand back my aircraft, then fly away to never return. Yet, a part of me said that that was impossible, always had been and always would be, and to just give up then. Drop to the ground with a cry of defeat and stay there until someone picked me up and carried me home like the stray I was.

I was left with my thoughts once again as we walked down streets and alleyways, always headed towards the big building with the red diamond on it. I won't mention my thoughts again, as they were the same as all the other times I had stopped to think about my situation; but, every time I did, I got more and more distressed. I had thought spontaneously joining the military and getting thrown into training was a 'hectic life.' Getting thrust into an unknown world and then stripped of everything familiar to you was way worse.

Ok, so maybe I hadn't been stripped of _everything_, I still had Ronnie, but in essence, we both had been stripped of everything we knew so the point still stood. In all its blindingly depressing glory.

While walking through Midgar, Ronnie and I made many lovely discoveries. One, they had cars. Yay for modern transportation. I was very relieved to find out that one did not have to ride a Chocobo everywhere he/she went. Two, the people that lived on the plate were _indeed_ richer than those in the Slums. I don't know how many looks we got because of our dirty—and torn in my case—clothes. Three, Shin-Ra really, _really_ loved advertisement. Signs and television screens were everywhere. All depicting Shin-Ra Electric Company.

I had no idea how they considered themselves an electric company if they weren't actually using electricity. Not unless they used Mako to turn turbines of some kind to form electricity that then powered the city. But, that didn't seem likely. Turbines back on Earth were usually turned by water, wind, or steam. Water in the form of dams, wind in the form of windmills out in the middle of nowhere, and steam by burning coal. I didn't think Mako fit into any of those categories. Then again, I didn't know much about Mako, either, so what could I say?

When we finally reached the Shin-Ra building, which took nearly an hour and my feet were hating me, I was blown away. 'Huge' it was. In every sense of the word. Sure, back on Earth, skyscrapers could get bigger, but from what I'd seen from Gaia so far, this thing was enormous. I cocked my head back in awe and merely gawked at the thing. Well, the good news was that it _was_ big enough to hide a plane. Bad news was, I didn't know what floor, or if they could _actually_ get it in there. It was a plane for crying out loud. Maybe it wasn't at that site after all.

No, I told myself, I was not giving up. Who cared if it wasn't there? I had come this far, and dammit, I was going to see the plan through to the end, plane or no plane. But, how would I get in? Yeah, sure, there was a front door and people were going in and out of it freely, but I had a feeling in the back of my mind that that wouldn't go well for us. For all I knew, those people coming and going were merely employees and we would need employee badges of some kind to make it past the lobby.

My eyes widened as I noticed Ronnie was already halfway towards the glass doors.

"What are you doing?" I almost screeched.

Ronnie stopped, turned around, and blinked, "Going in?"

"You can't just go in there!" I whispered harshly as I stormed over towards him. I didn't want to draw attention to us.

"Why not?" He asked.

"What if they have to check our I.D.s or something?"

"The train did that and we were fine. Why won't we be here?"

"Because unlike whatever the hell the train did, they can _see_ us. They can _tell_ if we are who we say we are," I replied.

Ronnie growled a little but recognized that I was right. A new question had risen to the front of our agenda. 'How do we get into the Shin-Ra building without getting caught?' I sighed and looked back up at the tall, looming building in front of us. I should not have done that. The building suddenly looked like it was curving towards me, and I felt myself leaning back to follow it. Realizing what was happening, I jumped a little and slammed my foot down on the ground to see if it was still there.

I shook my head to clear it and caught Ronnie giving me a strange look out of the corner of my eye.

"Reverse vertigo," I mumbled.

I paused when my eyes fell to another door off to the left of the main ones. I smirked. A fire escape, perhaps? Fire escapes were usually only used in case of emergencies, and were _always_ left unchecked. Well, they _used_ to be, but after certain events in America's history, September 11, 2001, being one of those, America became paranoid and started beefing up security. Fire escapes started becoming 'booby-trapped,' and whenever one tried to open it, a buzzer would go off alerting everyone. Ronnie had 'fun' with that concept many years ago.

I doubted that Shin-Ra would have such things on this particular fire escape, however. Why would they need it? Not only that, but it looked just like any normal door; not big and impressive and _obviously_ booby-trapped like all the other ones I had seen before in my life. Thank you, strange, dizzying phenomenon. Because without you I never would have spotted our way in.

"We're going in through the fire escape," I said suddenly and started walking in that direction.

"What?" Ronnie asked in confusion. He followed anyways.

"The fire escape. They won't be checking something as innocent as a fire escape," I replied.

"Oh, no. Of course not. What terrorist doesn't think exactly that?" Ronnie said sarcastically.

I laughed and looked at him, "So, we're terrorists now?"

"...Isn't that usually what you call someone who wants to firestorm a country's government...?" Ronnie asked.

If I could have sweat-dropped, I would have. But, seeing as how I was not an anime character, I didn't.

"I'm not going to firestorm their government," I sighed as I grabbed a hold of the fire escape's door handle. I pulled it open, "I'm not even sure if my plane's here anymore."

I stopped, looked up, and almost cried. Jeezus Chrysler those were a lot of stairs! It stood to reason that a giant building would have a lot of stairs, but that number was ridiculous. They just seemed to stretch into the sky forever. Ronnie looked up at the stairs towering above us.

"Um," he stammered. "We're going up... How far?"

"I have no flippin' clue," I replied breathlessly. "Surely to God this thing has an outlet _somewhere_."

"And if it doesn't?" Ronnie asked.

I paused. If it didn't, I didn't know what I was going to do. I hated stairs. Climbing hundreds of them was not on my 'to do list.' At least, it wasn't when I woke up this morning. However, seeing as how I was probably going to have to to get where I needed to go, it was at that point. Oh, joy.

My only reply was to put one foot in front of the other and begin climbing. Onwards and upwards, I figured. We'd get there when we got there. I jumped quickly to the side as I heard Ronnie running, and watched as he began taking the steps two at a time. I frowned. I hated him for his ability to clear stairs so well. It probably came from the fact that every house he ever lived in had stairs, but still... It was frustrating to see someone doing something so well while I felt as if I was still at the starting gate. I growled and increased my rate of climb.

**-FFVII-**

Thirty flights of stairs later and we _still_ weren't at the top. If I had to guess, though, we were probably halfway there. That didn't brighten my mood any. Ronnie had ran most of the way here, but was now walking a little ways behind me trying to catch his breath. Stupid idiot shouldn't have tried to run. However, I wasn't in much better shape than he was.

As I mentioned before, I could go almost a whole day without eating as long as I didn't do any strenuous activities. Well, climbing a ridiculously large amount of stairs is classified as 'strenuous'; so, I was bloody hell hungry. When I got hungry, I got cranky.

My crankiness quickly turned into aggravation. I was aggravated at Shin-Ra, I was aggravated at myself, I was aggravated at the fucking stairs that just didn't know when to end.

"I'm starting to think..." Ronnie panted, "this wasn't such a good idea. Can't we just go in and ask to use the bathroom? It worked at the farmer's house..."

I kept going, because I didn't want to stop and prolong the trip, but turned my head slowly to look at him.

"There is...no way..._in hell_...I'm turning back now. Suck it," I said dangerously.

Ronnie frowned, "Well _somebody's_ in a bad mood."

"Because I'm fuckin' hungry!" I shouted, my voice vibrating off the walls.

"I told you I would buy you something, but you said no."

I growled. He was right. It was my own fault for not taking him up on his offer. But, I still thought that it was a good idea not to waste the money. Sure, money for food isn't considered 'wasteful' but I didn't care. The room for the night seemed more important to me than the brief satisfaction one meal would bring me.

_Oh, crap_, I thought to myself as I realized that tomorrow would in fact come, and that we would have no money left after today. How were we supposed to get money? Sure, we could ask for jobs at a local store or something, but if Midgar worked like any other place back on Earth, there would be applications and waiting periods. I resisted the urge to punch the wall as my list of things to be aggravated with increased.

Ronnie and I made it another ten flights before my stomach decided to break the silence. I groaned that time and slapped my stomach in a futile attempt to make it shut up. Ronnie chuckled. At least one of us was amused. I, however, was not. I was hungry, my feet were screaming in pain, and I had the strong desire to just collapse. No, I told myself, I could not do that. If I did, I would more than likely roll back down the stairs, and not only would I arrive back at the starting point, but I'd most likely break my neck one-fourth of the way down.

"Can we take a break or something?" Ronnie asked, "I'm tired, and I _know_ you could use it."

"No," I breathed. "If I stop, I might not continue going."

"You know, I really don't see a downside to that."

"We're going," I replied blankly.

Yet, _another_ ten flights of stairs. Strange thing was, we _still_ hadn't run into any exit. What kind of fucked up fire escape was that? Shouldn't fire escapes be accessible by _all_ the floors? So, was I to assume that Shin-Ra was a fucked up company that only cared about the upper half of its building and the lower half could just burn to death? I would not have doubted it. I looked up to gauge how far we had left to go.

"Oh, thank God," I gasped as I brought up my right leg and placed it on the next stair. My legs were starting to feel like dead weight.

"We're almost there?" Ronnie asked from a few steps behind me. His stamina was remarkably lower than mine. Funny, when we were kids it was the other way around.

"We're almost there," I replied.

"I never want to see another stair ever again," Ronnie complained.

"I don't either," was my only reply.

Fifty-nine. That was how many flights of stairs there were to the Shin-Ra building's fire escape. And I could proudly say I climbed every damn one of them. I thought about making a T-shirt to commemorate the amazing achievement. Or just running up to one of the employees and going, 'Yeah, that's right. I climbed every fuckin' one of your stairs. Beat that! I bet you can't.'

I reached out and limply grasped the door handle. That was it. We were finally going to get into the Shin-Ra building. I opened the door and half expected a bright white light to be shining upon me and a heavenly choir to start up. Instead, I came face to face (almost) with a security camera. Fuckin' hell, I just couldn't win!

I cried out in exasperation and fell to my knees. Ronnie came running to me and tried to lift me up.

"No," I whined, "just leave me."

"But-"

"Let go," I said trying to pull away from him.

Ronnie let go and I crawled my way over to the wall. I laid my head back against it and stuck my tongue out. Ronnie raised a brow at me.

"Finally giving up?" He asked.

"There's a security camera," I said, my voice coming out a little high-pitched.

"Huh?"

"There'sasecuritycamera!" I replied, this time pointing at the thing.

Ronnie turned around and froze when he saw it. Shin-Ra was indeed a mean frakin' cooperation. It didn't set up cameras at the _bottom_ of the fire escape, it set them up at the _top_ to give you false hope and allow you to climb fifty-nine flights of stairs. And _then_, after luring you into a false sense of security, it set up a security camera RIGHT OUTSIDE THE DOOR as if to say, 'Haha, gotcha bitch.'

Ronnie turned and looked at me, a worried expression on his face, "Shouldn't we get going?"

"Why?" I asked.

"So they don't catch us?"

"What's the point?" I asked, "They already know what we look like. That guy at the bar knows what we look like. Hell, they probably have enough stuff on us by now to throw us in jail for a long time. Especially, when they find the fake I.D.s on us and get a testimony from that boy I knocked out earlier."

"Isn't that more of a reason for them _not_ to catch us?"

I stared at him, "Where the hell do you suppose we go to? I can't make it back _down_ those stairs, and we're stuck on enemy territory."

"We could hide in the janitor's closet!" Ronnie said trying to grasp at anything he could.

My eyes flickered away from Ronnie and onto the blue-suited guards that were rushing towards us. I had to hand it to them, Shin-Ra had a quick response time. We had only been here two minutes and they were already coming to bust our chops.

"Don't move!" One of the guards said, pointing his rifle at Ronnie. Naturally, Ronnie's hands found their way into the air.

"Show me your I.D.!" The other one ordered.

I sighed, rolled my head to look at him, and said, "Officer, we don't have I.D.s. The ones we are carrying aren't ours. Now, you can throw us in jail for all I care for using the fire escape instead of the front door, but if you do could do me one favor?"

Ronnie and the two guards looked at me. Then the two guards looked at one another. I could only imagine they were thinking, 'What's up with this woman? She's just going to turn herself in?' I smiled warmly.

"Could you please drag me to the jail cells? Because I sure as hell don't want to walk."

The two guards looked at me for a bit longer. They were probably trying to decide what to do with me. Thanks to my odd request they seemed more curious about me than they did Ronnie. That, and those claw marks from the wolf earlier were _still_ in my clothing.

One of the guards ordered the other one to take care of Ronnie. I guessed he was higher up in the chain of command. The leader then came over to me while Ronnie was escorted away. He gave me a worried look before turning around. I looked up at the guard and raised my arms up for him to take them. He pointed his gun at me.

"Get up," he ordered.

He didn't seem like a joking kind of guy.

"You're not going to drag me?" I asked, fake despair evident in my voice.

The guard pulled back the hammer on his rifle. Ok, that would be classified as a 'no.' I sighed, but quickly got my ass up off the floor. I did not want to get shot. Though I had been in the military, I was only a fighter pilot. I did not get shot at nearly everyday like some of the other less fortunate branches did. I did not want to get shot at today, either. I had a _pret-ty_ good idea that it would hurt like hell.

The leader stood behind me, gun pointed at my back, and forced me to walk over to the elevators that were waiting nearby. Well, I thought to myself, at least they're not stairs. I waited by the doors as the guard took out a card key and swiped it. The elevators dinged and the door on one of them slid open. I paused.

The elevator was located on the _outside_ of the building and was made of glass. Oh, joy. Heights might have been all right with me, after all they had to be if I were to fly a plane, but glass elevators were not. I guess that I had always feared the cables snapping, or something, and me falling to my doom. In a normal elevator, I would be okay with that. In a glass elevator, not so much. I did not like the idea of being able to _see_ what was going to kill me.

"Get in," he commanded.

I narrowed my eyes, but obeyed. The guard followed, pressed the number sixty-six, and then we were off. I have to admit, it seemed a little cramped in there, what with a guard pointing a rifle at me and all. I couldn't tell his facial expression all that well thanks to those strange helmets of theirs, but from the downward angle of his mouth, I could tell he was not happy.

I wouldn't be either if some strange man and woman had shown up from the fire escape and ruined my daily life of sitting on my ass all day watching TV. At least, that's what I imagined them to be doing. Sure, they could have actually been doing something productive before Ronnie and I had shown up, but the sarcastic side of me doubted that. After all, there was a war going on, why weren't they in it? Perhaps there was another branch of military for that, though. Kind of like the F.B.I., C.I.A., and N.S.A. along with all those other wonderful three letter anagram branches. Though, those weren't military. Ah well, point still stood.

The elevator reached the sixty-sixth floor, dinged again, and the door opened. The guard forced me out of the elevator, and I was greeted with the sight of what looked like a conference room up ahead. I was pretty sure it was a conference room. People were leaving it and they were all wearing pretty fancy clothes. Those were usually tell-tale signs of a meeting.

I only caught glimpses of a woman in a red dress, a fat man, and what looked like another guy in a blue-black suit before the guard prodded me with his rifle telling me to keep going. I resisted the urge to snort at him. He might have just shot me if I behaved rudely towards him... He led me towards the right of the building and towards a medium-size room.

It wasn't a room. When the guard opened up the door I came face to face with my arch nemesis. _Stairs_. The little bastard couldn't take the elevator all the way up to where we had to go, he had to prolong my suffering by forcing me up _stairs_. I reminded myself to get the guy's name if I could and the pay him a lovely little visit whenever I got out of jail. _If_ I got out of jail.

Reluctantly, I climbed the stairs. Luckily I only had to climb one flight this time. We emerged on floor sixty-seven and the guard used a card key to open the door. I followed him out and around the corner of the room, where I could see Ronnie and his guard just disappearing around yet another corner. Shin-Ra seemed to really like circle-ish rooms.

We walked a little further and eventually came to where the cells were. There were six in total. Ronnie was placed in the first one. I, however, was lead straight past Ronnie's cell and into the second one. It seemed they weren't taking any chances with their new jailbirds and were keeping us separated. In a sense, anyways. Ronnie and I could still talk to one another. The guards mumbled something between themselves and then walked off.

So, there we were. In jail. All by our lonesomes. Stuck in a cell with a bed and four grey walls. Those jail cells weren't like the ones back home. There were no bars. Just a door that probably locked with a card key. Because _everything_ Shin-Ra owned was apparently operated by card keys. The Midgar gates, the elevators, the doors. I wondered what they would do if a giant magnet ever fell into their supply of card keys. I almost chuckled evilly with amusement.

"Har har, Madam President," I heard Ronnie's voice from the other side of the wall. "Way to be diplomatic."

I sighed, "We were probably going to end up in jail one way or another anyway. At least this way was a 'path of least resistance'."

Ronnie was silent for a moment. "Well," he finally said, "at least this way we have a place to sleep."

He did have a point there...

**-FFVII-**

I was thinking that we spent a day in those jail cells. I couldn't really be certain because they didn't have a clock in my cell, but I was pretty sure it had been a day. The night had been a rough one. Not because I was in jail, no, that I could handle, but because they were very reluctant to let me do anything. I had to scream and pound at the door for what felt like forever for them to feed me. They finally decided to when I shouted out that my blood sugar was low, and that if I didn't get food fast, I wouldn't have been conscious to tell them whatever the hell it was they wanted to know. Going to the bathroom was just as hard of a feat as getting food. Again, threaten to soil their pristine holding area and they'll quickly let you out.

I sat on the bed, leaning against the wall as I waited for Ronnie to be brought back. Some man had come and taken him a while before, probably to ask him questions, and had yet to return. I sighed. I was starting to wish they hadn't taken my things from me the first time I demanded food. At least then I could have braided my knapsack's string or something. The boredom was killing me. When was it going to be my turn to be interrogated? It seemed like a strange thing to look forward to, but I was seriously thinking that it would be ten times better than sitting in that dull, grey room doing nothing but staring.

There weren't even any dust bunnies to count or play with, the place was so darn clean. The janitors of Shin-Ra must really love what they do and take it very seriously to do such a splendid job. Maybe I could become a janitor whenever I got out of jail. Nah, I wasn't any good at cleaning. I found that out quickly back at the farm.

My ears perked up as I heard footsteps approaching. I could hear a guard order Ronnie back into his cell and the familiar '_whish_' of the automatic door as it was shut. The guard then banged on my door, I guess telling me that he was letting me out for _some_ reason. Sure enough, with another '_whish_' my door slid open and there was Mr. Blue standing there, rifle by his side, waiting at the door.

"Come on, it's your turn," he said gruffly before stepping back a little to let me out.

I blinked, shrugged, stood up, and walked over to him. By now they had figured out that Ronnie and I weren't going to put up a fight, and had stopped pointing their guns at us whenever we walked somewhere. I found that a very relieving thing. I didn't like it when weapons were pointed at me. It was not a comfortable feeling.

I waited outside the door as the guard used the card key to shut it, and then followed him as he began walking. He led me to the stairway and down a few flights before we arrived at the floor he wanted us to stop at. Using another card key (I wondered how many he had in those pockets of his), we walked out and down a few more corridors. Eventually, we reached a tiny room. The guard nodded towards the door.

"Tseng's waiting for you in there. Says he wants to speak to you," the guard remarked.

"Song?" I asked. Had I heard him right?

The guard didn't reply to me, but simply walked away muttering something about 'stupid Turks'. What the hell was a Turk? He couldn't have been talking about people from Turkey. There was no Turkey located on Gaia. Was there?

Shrugging, I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind and entered the room. A stereotypical interrogation chamber awaited me. Desk in the center, two chairs, one light, and a man sitting at the desk, folders in hand, waiting for me to sit as well. I immediately recognized the suit. Holy freaking cow. Reno had been wearing one exactly like it back at the bar. So, the people wearing the blue-black suits were called Turks. That was wonderful information. Too bad I hadn't know it sooner...

Resisting the urge to run screaming from the room, I calmly walked over to the chair and sat down in front of Tseng. He was kind enough to be wearing a little I.D. thingy so I could see how to spell his name. It was not 'Song.' His appearance threw me a little. Not his entire appearance, that was normal: slightly long, black hair pulled back into a ponytail and brown eyes that reminded me of an Asian decent (even though there was no Asia). No, it was the little dot on his forehead. It looked like one of those jewels that Indian people wear. What were those things called again? I couldn't remember. However, I did have the strong desire to poke it.

I forced myself to look away from the jewel and look at Tseng's eyes. Might be a little odd having someone stare at your forehead, after all. Tseng only waited a few seconds, probably trying to 'figure me out,' before beginning the little 'meeting.'

"I understand that you and your friend tried to sneak into Shin-Ra. Is that correct?" He asked, his voice even.

"Yes," I replied honestly. I saw no point in lying about it.

"Am I right to also assume that you are not Miriam?" Tseng asked before taking out the plastic I.D. from his folder and showing it to me.

I glanced at it, "You are correct."

"So, you stole this?"

"Nope."

"But it's not yours."

"Ronnie stole it, I didn't," I replied looking up at Tseng.

"I see," Tseng said before putting the I.D. away. "So, that's your friend's real name."

I blinked. Oh, God, what did Ronnie tell him?

"Your friend was reluctant to give us any information. He simply said, 'I plead the fifth.' Whatever that meant."

I smiled. Naturally, you wouldn't know what the Fifth was, Tseng, you didn't have a Constitution.

"I'm quite curious as to know how you got into the Shin-Ra building in the first place," Tseng said, going back to the task at hand.

"I'm pretty sure you already know that since it's on video, but I guess I'll tell ya anyway. The fire escape. At least, I _think_ it's a fire escape. It's a pretty crumby one considering you can only access it on the fifty-ninth and first floors," I replied.

Tseng remained emotionless and proceeded, "You climbed fifty-nine flights of stairs? You must have been desperate."

"Or really stupid."

He didn't smile. "Did you really think you were going to get far with I.D.s that don't even resemble you or your friend?"

"No," I replied. "I thought Ronnie could get away with it if he said the photo was taken years ago. But, when I told him to steal mine for me, he decided to have a little bit of fun."

"Shin-Ra updates its information every year. That excuse wouldn't have worked," Tseng remarked.

"Oh...Well, then..."

"What's your real name?" He asked.

"Saan," I replied. He didn't need to know my full name.

"Where are you from?"

"Rocket Town."

Tseng blinked. Up until this point, that was probably the only emotion I had seen on his face. If blinking could be considered an emotion, that is. Oh, God, here it comes.

"A little far from home, aren't you?"

"Yes." Dear God, yes! I get it! I'm far away from home. You people can stop reminding me!

"What caused your clothes to be torn up?" Tseng asked.

"I got attacked while on my Chocobo. One of those wolf things got a hold of me. Luckily, I had a potion and was able to heal myself," I replied slouching a little.

This time Tseng frowned, "You were attacked by a Kalm Fang?"

"If that's what those are called."

Tseng leaned back in his chair and stared at me. I stared back. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, or what he was doing. Was he trying to stare me down, or was he simply thinking about my situation? I had no idea. Frankly, I didn't care. Not unless he could find me a lawyer that could get me out of jail, I would have felt fine going back to my cell to stare at the wall some more.

"So, what you're saying is," Tseng began, "You came from Rocket Town, acquired some Chocobos, rode to Midgar, got attacked by a Kalm Fang, survived regardless of the fact that you were weaponless and defenseless, got into Midgar, stole two I.D.s, boarded the train, miraculously avoided getting caught at the checkpoint, found the Shin-Ra building, took the stairs to the fifty-ninth floor, and then were apprehended by guards and thrown in jail?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Why?"

I smirked, "I plead the Fifth."

Tseng scowled that time. I didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing to be making him have facial expressions anymore. Every time I did, they kept getting less and less happy. Which more than likely meant more and more trouble for me. I heard the door knob twist to the room and looked back instinctively to see who was coming in. I wish I hadn't. The bright, red hair was the first thing my eyes noticed.

My eyes widened as Reno walked into the room. He paused when he made eye contact with me. I froze, as well. It wasn't going to end well for me, I could tell that already. I heard Tseng sigh.

"Reno..."

Reno pointed at me, "Yo, what's she doin' in here?"

I blinked. What did it look like I was doing in there? I was being interrogated. Ah, crap, he recognized me. My mind flashed to the scenario I had thought of a day ago where Reno was pointing at me in a line-up. Well, other than the fact he wasn't holding a shot glass, I had been pretty spot on about that prediction. I hated it when irony took me seriously...

"You know her?" Tseng asked, a hint of curiosity tinging his voice.

_Ku-roosh_. That was the sound of my life getting flushed down the toilet. I stared at Reno, waiting for him to seal my fate.

"Yeah, I met her at a bar in the Slums yesterday. Said she was goin' to come here lookin' for a job," Reno replied matter-of-factly.

"Really?" Tseng asked, his voice turning judgmental, "She failed to mention that."

I grinned and looked over my shoulder at Tseng, "I thought it was a need-to-know kind of thing."

"And you thought I didn't need to know that you had run into a Turk previously?" Tseng asked.

"Nooot, really," I replied.

Tseng looked up from me and at Reno, who stayed rooted at the doorway, "Reno, meet me in my office after I'm through here."

"Sure thing, boss man," Reno said before backing out of the door and shutting it. I had just turned back around to face Tseng when I heard it re-open. "What'd I do?"

"_Later_, Reno," Tseng replied, his eyes closed in annoyance. The door shut again.

I waited a few seconds before speaking again.

"He's going to get in trouble for something, isn't he?" I asked.

Tseng opened his eyes and looked at me. "That depends."

I hesitated before asking, "On what?"

Tseng didn't reply. He simply stood up, picked up his folder, and walked to the door.

"We're through here. I'll send the guard to take you back to your cell."

And with that he was gone. I turned and looked back at the desk in front of me. My head hit it with a dull thud. Fine mess I had gotten myself, _and_ Ronnie, into. I heard the guard clear his throat behind me and dragged myself out of the chair. I followed him silently all the way back to my cell. He opened the door, I walked in, and with a '_whish,_' it shut behind me.

I walked over to the bed and plopped down. Placing my hands behind my head, I stared up at the ceiling. It wasn't long before Ronnie's voice wafted from the other room.

"So?" He asked, "How'd it go?"

"I told him everything," I replied solemnly.

"What?" Ronnie asked hysterically, "Why?"

I blinked, "Because I can't lie, Ronnie, it's just not in me."

"What are you talking about? You lie all the time," he remarked.

"Not about something this major, I don't. And definitely not to authority figures. That's not how I was raised, and the military pounded that home."

I heard Ronnie sigh, "We're going to have to work on that..."

A few seconds passed.

"You didn't tell him about the plane, did you?" Ronnie asked.

I smiled, "No, that time I pleaded the Fifth."

Ronnie laughed, "Good, then at least that part of our stories match."

I continued to stare at the ceiling until I eventually dozed off. I don't know how long I was asleep, but I was awoken by a knock coming from the door. I opened one eye and peered at it, trying to see who it was through the tiny window at the top. I couldn't make anyone out; so, sighing, I got up and walked over to the door. I waited for it to open, but it didn't. I frowned. That wasn't typical guard behavior. They usually pounded on the door and opened it immediately after.

"What?" I finally asked.

That time the door did open. A different Turk was standing there. It was a woman, with short blonde hair and green eyes. She had her arms crossed and a no-nonsense look about her. I admired that. I could get along with her.

"Tseng wants to see you," she said abruptly before turning on her heels and walking over to Ronnie's cell.

I blinked. So, Tseng wanted to see us again? Was he going to see us at the same time now and see what strange story we concocted together so that he could catch us in a lie? Well, sorry to burst his bubble, but both our stories were going to match. The truth was always the same for everybody, and we both knew to lie about the plane, so we were good there.

The girl knocked on Ronnie's cell door as I took the time to look around. The first thing I noticed was the lack of guards. No, the _absence_ of guards. No one was there. Odd. Were they all on break or something? The girl knocked on Ronnie's door again. I looked over at her and could tell right away she was getting a little aggravated.

"He's probably asleep," I offered.

The girl looked at me, then the door, then raised her fisted hand back to pound on it.

"AND!" I shouted, catching her attention. She paused.

"He's a very heavy sleeper," I finished.

"Figures," She said, rolling her eyes. She took a card key from her pocket and slid it through the slot beside the door. It slid open and, sure enough, Ronnie was sleeping curled up on the bed, snoring quietly. The woman strolled over to Ronnie's sleeping form and stood beside the bed.

"WAKE UP!" She yelled.

My eyes widened. She was nearly as bossy as I was. Only, she looked a little more formidable than I did. Perhaps it was the suit. Or maybe angry blondes just seemed angrier than other people. My mind briefly flashed to Mello from _Death Note_, but I quickly buried the image. It had been years since I read that manga.

Ronnie merely grumbled out, 'Five more minutes,' before rolling over. I looked at the blonde cautiously. I could have sworn I saw her twitch. She growled, snatched a hold of Ronnie's ear, and literally dragged him out of the bed. I bit my lip to keep from smirking. Ronnie yelped.

"All right, all right, I'm up, I'm up!" He yelled as he swatted at the hand that had a hold of him.

The woman let go, watched as Ronnie rubbed his ear and pouted at her, then announced the reason she had come to get him.

"Tseng wants to see you," she said, and, once again, turned on her heels and stormed out the door.

Ronnie and I shared a glance then jogged to catch up with her. She didn't speak to us as she led us through the Shin-Ra building. Ronnie and I didn't speak to one another in fear that she would chew our heads off or something. The gun that was hanging by her waist didn't help the nervous feeling any.

Eventually, after an elevator ride and a few trips down some stairs, we reached Tseng's office. At least, I assumed it was Tseng's office. She did say we were going to meet him, and she had stopped in front of it. Two plus two was four...

"He's waiting in there," she said as she motioned towards the door with her arm.

"Thank you?" Ronnie half-asked.

She nodded once then left us alone. I blinked. She wasn't going to stay with us? Wow, Tseng seemed to have a lot of little followers he liked ordering around. Maybe he was the leader of the Turks. Either that, or they just really liked doing what he said. I looked at the door and noticed Ronnie already walking through it. He didn't wait for anybody, did he?

I sighed and followed him in. Tseng was talking on his cellphone (wow, Gaia had cellphones?). Upon seeing us enter, he held up one finger to tell us to wait, finished his conversation, then flipped the phone shut and placed it on his desk. He swiveled in his chair to face us fully. Ronnie walked all the way up to his desk, but I stopped halfway.

"I have a proposition for the two of you," he said evenly.

"And that would be?" I asked cautiously.

Tseng looked from Ronnie to me, "Due to the increase in activity, not only by Wutai, but also by a faction called AVALANCHE, we are a little short on man power. I informed my superior of your deeds yesterday, and he seemed quite impressed with you. He is willing to grant you amnesty _if_..." He trailed off.

Ronnie raised an eyebrow, "We're not being your janitors."

There went that hive mind thing again, only that time we hadn't even in the same room, so I have no idea how he managed to know my thoughts from before. Tseng sighed, and looked at Ronnie. He was probably reconsidering whatever it was he was going to offer. Why did I have the funny feeling I wasn't going to like what that was, anyway?

"He doesn't want you to be a janitor, Mr. Ronnie. He has proposed that you two become Turks."

I frowned, "And the alternative?"

"You rot in jail," Tseng replied matter-of-factly.

I was thinking about going back and rotting in jail. So far I had only seen three of these 'Turks', gosh knows how many more there were, and I wasn't getting a good impression of them. Also, I didn't like the idea of having to wear a suit as a uniform. I liked the Air Force's attire because it was camo or navy green. I liked those colors. I did not like blue-black.

"Do I get my own card thingy?" Ronnie asked suddenly.

I looked at him and stared hard into the back of his head. Surely he wasn't thinking about doing what they asked? He didn't have any fighting skills other than 'punch' and 'kick.' He had no skills with a gun, either. I remembered the time he was playing with Ashi's toy air pistol. He shot at the target, it bounced off, and hit me in the sternum...while I was laying on the ground watching TV. I didn't trust Ronnie with a gun as far as I could throw him.

The corner of Tseng's mouth twitched in what appeared to be a smile. Appearances were deceiving. The look he was giving Ronnie was predatorial, as if he had Ronnie right where he wanted him.

"Yes, you'll be granted a card key to allow you _legal_ access to the Shin-Ra building," Tseng replied.

"Aaaand an outfit like that? But thinner at the waist?" Ronnie asked, excitement in his voice. Oh, no, he was falling for it.

"Yes, you will be assigned the proper attire."

"Sweet!" Ronnie exclaimed, "Sign me up!"

Tseng smiled then looked at me, "And what about Ms. Saan?"

"_Just_ Saan. And, I guess I have no other choice," I replied indifferently.

"Good. It's settled then. Everything will be arranged for you to start training tomorrow. Be at the front desk at 0800." Tseng picked up his cell phone, then paused, "Oh, and be ready to fill out some paper work."

"Excuse me, _sir,_" I said quickly. "We have no place to stay for the night."

"That can be arranged," was all Tseng said before hitting a number on his cell phone and swiveling away from us.

Ronnie and I took that as a sign to leave and walked out of Tseng's office. Great, out of one job in the military, and into another one. If the Turks could be considered part of the military. They seemed to me more like the types that fit into that 'N.S.A.' category I had thought about earlier. Ronnie looked at me and grinned. I glared in response and walked quickly away from him. If Tseng stuck us in a one bedroom apartment, Ronnie was getting the couch.

**A/N: And thus ends Chapter 4. Tseng, Reno, and Gun (Female) have made their appearances, Reno as a returning player. Throw confetti into the air if you must. For those of you worried about Ronnie and I becoming Turks, fear not. We are still going to be as 'real' as we are now. No mastering of Materia for us. Nope. I'll try to update with Chapter 5 as soon as I can. But, first, I have to read a chapter of Criminal Justice, and five chapters of Music (because our professor is evil like that). Reviews would be nice. Thank you, and goodnight. x-x**

_**Edit: This one had fewer errors. I must have been improving.**_


	5. Turks in Training

**A/N: -says all Lucrecia-like- I'm so sorry! I have not updated in, what, almost three weeks? I can explain! As some of you might already know, my computer is undergoing 'brain surgery'. I did a stupid thing and bought a 'newer' computer for its motherboard and, well, let's just say some things didn't quite go according to plan and I was forced to go back to my old motherboard. However, I forgot that my hard drive needed something done to it to work on my old ass motherboard and…so…yeah, I have no computer. All of this was typed at college over the time period of the nearly-three-weeks I was absent. I **_**will**_** continue this story no matter how long it takes, so fear not. Just because my computer is out of commission does not mean I will abandon you! Or it… Also, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, and alerted this story. Your praise means bunches ^.^.**

**As for the chapter itself. Well, I can't say too much without giving it away, but a lot of you might recognize where it takes place and what I based it on. Some of you might have even seen this coming. So, without further adieu I give you the fifth chapter! Finally…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, Charmed, or YouTube. I do however own this plot and a used copy of Xenosaga (which I have yet to play).**

_**Edited on 18 Sept 2010 for errors and goofs. And to Irish-Brigid: I am aware the different elemental Materia are not separate colors—they're all green…in FFVII and Crisis Core. In Dirge of Cerberus, Fire, Thunder, and Blizzard were colored differently so as to tell them apart more easily. It is that color scheme that I adopted; to make it easier for Saan and readers to distinguish Materia. Given Dirge of Cerberus, I am technically still in cannon.**_

0800. Also known as eight o'clock in the bloody morning. That was the time Ronnie and I were supposed to be at the front desk of the Shin-Ra building. Prepped and ready to sign a whole helluva lot of paperwork. Well, when it was eight o'clock in the morning…Ronnie and I were rushing out the front door. First day of the job and we were already late. How good is that for job performance?

The chain of events went like this: Ronnie and I left the Shin-Ra building, escorted by some low-level employee, who hailed us a 'taxi' and gave us an address which we then used to find the nice little building that would be our new home (apparently Shin-Ra _did_ save the plate for its workers and rich people), where we went about our business of making our new home homely. Unfortunately, we were flat-ass broke and so our efforts were in vain. Instead we decided to sit down on the not-too-new couch and watch TV. Amazingly, Shin-Ra had something equivalent to satellite and we had many channels to choose from. Even if we didn't know what the stations stood for or what kooky broadcast was going to come on next. In a unanimous decision (a.k.a. me grabbing the remote) we decided to turn it to a Chocobo racing station and leave it at that.

After hours of zoning out in front of the 'tube, because face it, Chocobos weren't very exciting, we went to bed just to pass the time until the next 'big day'. Whether it was from climbing up fifty-nine flights of stairs, or from the really warm blankets of the bed, I wasn't sure, but either way we _both_ wound up oversleeping. Sure, it was a blessing not to be awoken at the crack of dawn anymore…but not when you had a job appointment roughly two hours after said sunrise and you were already fifteen minutes late. That did not count the time it would take to run all the way to the Shin-Ra building. Yes, run. Ronnie and I still hadn't figured out how to get that damn 'taxi' to come back.

So, there we were, huffing and puffing in front of the secretary trying to explain our situation. For the first half of the explanation, she was glaring at us with a scowl on her face that would have made Ronnie meep in terror and me accept her challenge if it were not for the fact that Tseng was ten times more intimidating than the woman could ever hope to be and I was too pooped to care. I sort of dreaded ever meeting Tseng's boss. However, when we had finally caught our breath and I managed to say, 'We're here for the Turk thing,' the lady brightened up immediately, said, 'Oh, you're the new recruits!' and promptly handed us each a clipboard with quite a bit of paper on them. Joy.

I scowled at the clipboard as I made my way over to a nearby chair. I didn't think the chair was made for anything other than aesthetic value, but oh well; my ass was going in it. Ronnie squatted down beside me and we both began filling out what I could only guess was an 'application'. I found it amusing that Turks, who seemed higher up on the Shin-Ra food chain, had to fill out application forms. Some things, I figured, would never change.

First Name: Saan Last Name: (…) Darnell

DOB: (Oh, shit…)

I had no idea what my birth date was. Ok, yeah, sure, I knew the birth date I had from _Earth_…but, seeing as how I was on a different planet, I had no idea what calendar they used, or what year I would have been born in. I looked down at Ronnie. His pen was poised over the same blank that mine was.

"Um…" He said.

"Yeah," I chuckled nervously. "About that…"

"I have no idea," Ronnie whispered. "What are we supposed to put?"

"What are we supposed to do?" I asked the more obvious question.

"I don't know!" He whispered back.

"…"

I was going to have to think about it. What could we do? Ronnie and I had no way of avoiding the question. We were going to have to answer it. I looked around for a calendar of some kind. If I could just find what months they used, perhaps I could see what would be considered 'August 8th'. I found none. Ok, what was another way of going about it? I had toyed with the idea of going to the 'bathroom' and actually stopping somebody to see if I could use their phone, then access their calendar; but, I didn't know the chances of everyone on Gaia having a cell phone—though it seemed everyone on Earth did—or if the cell phone developers were kind enough to include such a feature.

That was when a light bulb went off in my head. There was another way I could find out what year was twenty-two years ago. Ronnie would have to think of some excuse to use _my_ excuse, but it just might work.

"Ronnie," I whispered to him.

He obediently turned his head in my direction.

"Go ask someone what year was twenty-two years ago," I said.

He gave me a look, "What?"

"I'm serious! Act as if you were going to the bathroom, or something, and ask some random person what year was twenty-two years ago."

"... That is a brilliant idea. _But_, why would I go to the bathroom for that?"

D'oh! "I don't mean actually _go to the bathroom_. Just…set your clipboard down casually so that way the secretary _thinks_ that's where you're going, and then actually ask the question," I explained.

"Oooh," Ronnie said. "Yeah. 'Cuz I was thinking it would be mighty awkward if some random guy walked up to me in the bathroom to ask me something like that."

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes Ronnie's brain took things a little too literal. Ronnie looked around cautiously and conspicuously, then put his clipboard down and walked away. Oops. I forgot to tell him which way the bathrooms were. Then again, I didn't know where the bathrooms were, either. Hopefully the secretary wasn't paying _too_ much attention to what we were doing. I went about filling out the other parts of the application. It asked things like birthplace, blood type, what skills I was good at. Well, putting 'Rocket Town' 'A-' and 'Flying aircraft/shooting' wasn't that hard.

Before I could go much further, Ronnie was already back. He plopped down beside me. I looked at him expectedly. He quickly flashed his hand at me, the number written down on his palm. Smooth going Ronnie. I wrote it down on my paper, reminded him to take away a year since he was older than me, and then continued on with the form.

The rest was pretty simple, for the most part anyway. I either knew the answer to the question, or didn't and made stuff up off the top of my head. For instance, it even asked about prior jobs. Well, I put pilot and 'Waste management supervisor'. What? I cleaned up Chocobo crap. That counted as a job, did it not?

It took me nearly thirty minutes to fill out the forms, Ronnie a little longer since he had taken that break, and when I was finished I went back to the front desk and handed the form over to the secretary. I made sure to smile pleasantly as I did so. Act polite and they'll think you're going to be a nice, kiss-ass employee.

"Thank you, Tseng will be with you shortly," she said before turning away to type something on her computer.

I nodded and walked back to my chair-that-was-not-a-chair. Ronnie got up to turn in his form as I set down. So, that was it. As soon as he turned in his application, he and I were officially going to be Turks. That thought was not a comforting one. Yeah, sure, we were going to have paying jobs now, and we would have a place to stay that we probably didn't have to pay for…but, I had no idea what the Turks did. They seemed shady to me. I did not like shady people.

It wasn't long before a familiar bead wearing man was walking out of the elevators and towards us. I automatically stood up. It was a habit from the Air Force—when a senior officer approaches, you stand at attention. I was surprised I didn't salute him. I doubted they had the same kind of salute as we did, though.

"I see you made it in time," he said in that usual 'I don't care' way of his.

I chuckled, "Yeah…"

I was shocked. I expected a man like Tseng to know everything about his Turks. He didn't know we had been late? Wow, that was really nice of that secretary. However, it _was_ possible that she had written it down on a sheet of paper that we were late and was waiting to give it to him when we thought we were 'safe' from a scolding. Or, Tseng already knew and was just leading us along to see if we were honest people. Oh, well, it was obvious we weren't. I mean, we _had_ just lied to a government building concerning nearly everything about ourselves.

"Are you ready to begin training?" Tseng asked looking between the both of us.

"Sure," Ronnie replied.

"Good," Tseng continued. "There's a facility nearby that the Turks use to train newcomers such as you two. Follow me and I'll take you there."

Oh, joy. Why did I have the suspicion that 'training' was going to be a lot like boot camp?

**-FFVII-**

I walked into a dull, boring, grey room that had a couple of metal crates situated in a pattern in the center of the room. The facility that Tseng had led us to was a little run-down and obviously old. When we had arrived, a Shin-Ra employee had handed us some Turk outfits, and we went off into changing rooms to change. I can say that I was not too happy about the outfit. I hated formal wear and the suit was entirely too stiff for my liking. It appeared that Turks didn't do much fighting. Or, if they did, it wasn't using conventional punching and kicking.

I was right. They didn't use punching and kicking; they used guns. After Ronnie and I had exited the changing rooms we were handed some normal pistol-type guns. The guns were a little longer than what I had been used to, but they seemed like overall good guns. I looked at Ronnie hesitantly. I still did not trust him with a gun. For a moment, I had been afraid that we would be forced to train together, and that Ronnie would somehow shoot _me_ instead of the target, but those fears were cast aside when Tseng mentioned I would be going first, then Ronnie. Hallelujah no bullet holes for me.

Before entering the room I was standing in, Tseng had given me specific instructions. I was not to use my handgun until told and that if I did everything the computer told me to I would have no problems. I had no idea what he meant by 'computer,' but I decided I would listen to it anyway. After all, if it were meant to help me, why would I not listen to the voice of reason?

I had no idea what I was supposed to be expecting from a room full of crates; but when the automated voice started talking, I almost jumped out of my skin. I quickly found out what he meant by 'computer.'

"Verifying data," it said in that annoying female voice that almost _every_ AI program had.

"Access number 4-G-R-A-9-6…Good day, Ms. Darnell."

"Good day to you, too, creepy computer lady," I mumbled to myself.

"Shin-ra Manufacturing Tactical Training Facility. Now loading Turks Administrative Research Department simulation program," it continued.

I blinked and looked around, my thoughts drifting momentarily. So, the Turks were considered a research department. I highly doubted that. Guns were not needed for research, unless you were researching what imprint a bullet leaves behind for forensic evidence of some kind. Somehow, I couldn't picture Tseng on _CSI_.

"Session one," the computer said, "This exercise will focus on simple combat with targets. Please be aware that Shin-ra Manufacturing is not responsible for any injuries or loss of life caused by this simulation program."

Ok, at _that_ I paused. Tseng had not mentioned anything about something that could fatally injure me. Sure, he had given me a gun, but I had suspected it to be used on cardboard cut-outs of people, not something that I would have to shoot before it shot me. However, I was not supposed to use my gun yet. My disliking of a certain company was increasing by the moment.

The computer voice grew silent and I guessed that that was my cue to start the training. I took a few tentative steps away from the door. I couldn't see anything that could be used in combat training. What was I supposed to be fighting? Hearing something to my left, I turned to face in that direction. A little, red, circular robot with an antennae coming out of its top was sitting on the floor.

I raised an eyebrow. I didn't know if I was supposed to just leave it be, or go over there and punt kick the thing so hard into the wall that it would fry and I could move on. The computer had not been so kind as to tell me what the thing's function was. I figured that it couldn't do too much damage (especially since it looked like a vacuum cleaner) and walked over to it.

Bending down to get a better look, I contemplated with the idea of poking the thing. I might have…had the antenna not given off an electrical discharge that made me quickly jump back. Regaining my balance from nearly tripping over myself, I narrowed my eyes at the red vacuum. _To hell with you,_ I thought to myself, _I'll just go to the next door_. However, when I reached the door leading into what I guessed was the next room in this little exercise, it would not open.

I glared at the obstacle. Looking up, I noticed a red light above the door. All the video games, TV shows, and real-life experiences I had ever had came rushing back and I instinctively knew that that red light meant that the door was not going to open unless I did something to _make_ it open. Was I supposed to push a button? Use a card key like the rest of Shin-Ra was rigged to do? Stomp the robot into the ground to make the door open all _Legend of Zelda_-like?

I huffed and stormed back over to the robot. Glaring down at it, I considered my options. It sparked again but this time I did not move. Either this thing was preventing me from moving on or something more trivial was. I decided I was going to take care of the robot first.

The robot was electric. My boots were rubber. I could kick the thing over to inspect it for any kind of switch and turn it off; maybe even open the door. That all depended on how Shin-Ra set-up the damn thing. So, I brought my foot back and with a swift kick to its underside, I flipped the robot over (granted it flipped nearly three times) and walked over to inspect it. Sure enough, on the underside was a green button. The media always warned people never to push the red button. That one was green, and I found no harm in pushing a green button.

Immediately after doing so, the robot turned off and I heard a click come from the _previously_ locked door. Ha-ha, Sonya: one. Shin-Ra: zero. When it came to the Turk training, that is. I got up, left the dead robot behind me, and opened up the door to continue on. So far, so good.

After a few twists and turns in the layout of the facility, along with some high ledges and ladders, I came to a staircase. I did not think much of said staircase. The thought _did_ cross my mind that Shin-Ra was out to get me by placing so many damn stairs everywhere, but the thought of four men wielding swords popping out as if from nowhere never occurred to me…which is why I almost screamed when they did.

Adrenaline kicked in along with my old military training and I quickly dodged a sword that was aimed for my neck and proceeded to punch the bastard in the face.

"Holy-fuckin'-ow!" I screamed as I shook my hand.

I had hit metal. It was not the mask that I hit because I had clearly seen my fist connect with the man's jaw, but there had definitely been metal under his skin. They were robots. I was fighting training robots that wielded swords. Oh, yay.

With technique one obviously not going to work, I went to technique two. If punching the darn things was going to hurt like hell, I would kick them. Sensing one of the robots behind me, I pushed my way past two others to get to the wall. At least that way they couldn't get me from behind.

As one of the robots raised his sword, my leg shot out. My shin connected with what would have been the thing's ribs…had it had any. Relief flooded through me as I saw it recoil from the blow. Well, that was good. At least after that I knew that they were not invincible and acted almost exactly like humans did when you gave them a pounding. However, I knew that I was not going to be able to kick those things until they lay crumpled on the floor in a smoldering heap. I did not have the stamina for it. I had not been trained that way. I was going to have to end the fight fast, or I was going to end up a bloody spot on the floor.

I quickly bolted for the door, and to my dismay, found it to be locked. Again. I quickly guessed that I was going to have to defeat the four robot men to move forward. I was going to die… Turning around quickly, I dodged to the side to avoid a vertical slash. I accidently bumped into a different robot, squealed, and quickly took off back towards the stairs. Wait a minute…

I sneered as an idea started to form within my conniving little mind. If I couldn't defeat them, perhaps they could defeat themselves. Sure, I had no weapon, but they did. Bumping into that one robot gave me the assumption that, even though man-made and programmed for excellence, they had faults of their own i.e. clumsiness. Just like humans, they could make mistakes. What would happen if, say an outside force just happened to _accidently_ push a robot into another one resulting in said robot's death?

I climbed only a few stairs, baiting the robots after me, before I quickly swiveled around and kicked the closest one in the chest. I grinned as I watched it trip over backwards, not only spearing itself on its ally's sword, but also knocking down two others.

"Ha!" I exclaimed, thrusting a fist into the air.

My grin quickly faded as I saw the last one rushing at me. Holy crap. Squealing again, I raced for the wall. Using the same maneuver I had used at a haunted house years before—chainsaws are so fun—I ducked underneath the sword as it flew towards my head. Finding an opening, I turned around and delivered a kick to the robot's back. It grunted and toppled onto the other pile of robots. Unfortunately, it avoided getting speared and the other two that had been knocked down were getting back up. It seemed like that day was just not my day.

I groaned loudly. I didn't have enough room to move! Whoever had designed the place had strategically designed it to kill you, I was sure of it. Sure, I could run back up the stairs, dodge roll back under the random tunnel, and climb up a few ladders but what would be the point? I would only be proving that I was a giant coward and that I was incapable of fighting _at all_. No, that was not a fair thought given that the opponents that I was fighting had swords and I did not, but with Shin-Ra's fucked up way of thinking, that's what they would have suspected.

Resisting the urge to just stop and sigh at my predicament (because I would end up dead), I decided instead to dodge the oncoming blade aimed at my chest. I doubted the run-up-the-stairs-and-push-them-down trick would work again—robots were usually smart like that—and I figured I was going to have to come up with a different plan to save my ass. Amazing that, even though I considered myself the brains of the bunch, I could not come up with anything. I blamed it on stress…

"Man, back off!" I shouted as I kicked away another robot.

It merely grunted, hit the ground, and then stood back up. They were like freakin' yo-yos or something! My eyes drifted over to the fallen robot. Ah-ha! It was still clutching its sword. Taking a quick glance at the other three to see where they were, I practically dived for the weapon. I wrenched it out—the metallic screech the blade made when coming out was almost sickening—and faced my attackers.

I had no idea how to use a sword. The only experience I had with them was from television and the times that my friends and I would play with plastic ones out in the front yard. Fourteen year-olds are not sword masters and neither are cheap Hollywood knock-offs. If a true swordsman had seen me, he probably would have vomited in disgust. I almost chuckled at the thought of an ancient sword master rolling in his grave at my pathetic stance.

I took a deep breath and charged at the robot nearest me. I had to dodge the swing of a second robot, but after that, I quickly brought my sword up and thrust it into the chest of the first one. Sparks sprouted out of the nice new hole in the front of the robot. The robot powered down and gravity quickly took over, which I strangely had not foreseen happening. I almost let go of the sword as the robot yanked me with it towards the ground, but managed to awkwardly grasp the hilt and pull it out.

The other two robots were waiting for me as I spun around to slice at them. My sword connected with another, clashing dully from lack of strength, and I felt a familiar sting in my palms. As a kid, my great-grandmother had enrolled me in softball. I might not have been swinging away at a ball, but the sting was still the same.

I panicked as I realized I was in a 'deadlock' of sorts. I couldn't let up on my attack, or the robot that was fighting against me would most likely cleave me in two. However, if I did not back off, the other robot was going to cleave me in two instead. Were those my only choices? If so, they were very depressing ones.

Growling, I decided to go against all logic and back off, but not before pushing with all my might against the robot I now faced. Our swords ran along one another as I ran forward and his blade missed my shoulder by mere centimeters. I jumped away quickly and sliced through the air, hoping to hit _something_. I didn't care what, as long as I hit it. Miraculously, I somehow managed to slice into the robot's neck. In another shower of sparks, its head flew off, crashed into the wall, and fell to the floor. Luck seemed to be on my side.

A little out of breath, I stared down the last remaining machine. With only one opponent left, I was feeling pretty sure of myself. By myself, I had taken out three robots wielding swords; so this 'little guy' seemed like nothing. I straightened up, the sword held loosely in my right hand, and waited for the robot to come at me. It did, and I dodged to the left, watching as the sword slid through the air just in front of my abdomen. Not wasting any time with the opening I had been given, I shoved the sword into the robot's back.

Sparks shot out from the 'wound' and the metal shell fell lifelessly to the floor. Gasping for air, I let the sword clatter to the ground. I walked over the wall and plopped down onto the floor to catch my breath. Tseng was so going to get an 'anonymous' letter stating how ridiculously challenging and stupid the training program was. My eyes flickered to the ceiling and I spotted a video camera right above the door. The little cracker was filming this, too! Was there nothing Shin-Ra _didn't_ record?

Sticking my tongue out at the camera, I got up and checked the door. It unlocked and allowed me to go to the next room. Stepping through, my eyes immediately began to scan the area. I did not need any more sword-wielding goons coming to slash me to pieces. The room itself was bigger than the other one had been, thank God (or whatever celestial being ruled over Gaia), and was filled with tons of cargo crates. How did I know they were cargo crates? Because the word 'CARGO' was written on them. Brilliant deduction, I know.

"Congratulations. Session one completed."

I looked up at the ceiling as the female computer voice spoke once again. I seriously was starting to wonder just where the hell it was coming from. I couldn't see any speakers or anything. Then again, the ceiling was pretty high and speakers could be hidden anywhere, so who knew?

"Session two: This exercise will focus on basic features of the handgun."

"Finally," I mumbled as I took a few steps into the room.

I heard what sounded like a low rumble and looked to my right to see a part of the wall sliding up. What I had originally thought were just random pieces of metal in the walls were, in fact, doors. And more damn robots were coming out of them.

_Ptang!_

"Shit!" I exclaimed as I dived behind one of the metal crates. _This exercise will focus on basic features of the handgun_. So, not only was I able to use a gun now, but so were the robots. Wonderful. I unbuckled the strap holding my gun in its holster, and took it out. In the military, I had spent most of my time in aircraft doing various missions. I had rarely used a gun outside of training. Technically, I was a little rusty.

Bullets ricocheted off the crate I was hiding behind as the robots continued to fire at me. I scoffed. The sword-wielding robots seemed smarter than these guys. Who the hell continues to fire at someone you can't hit? Creeping around the crates, I poked my head out one side. My eyes widened as I noticed one of the robots was staring directly at me…and was aiming for my head.

As fast as I could, I yanked my head back. The sound of the bullet bouncing off the crate near my face was a little more than discouraging. Ok, so they were stupid for constantly shooting at something that was not able to be hit; but, damn, did they have good aim when it was. I backed up and tried the other side of the crate, and nearly came face to face with another bullet. Dammit!

Growling in frustration, I crawled to the other side of the crate and decided to hell with it. I was not going to take the time for a precise head shot with the way these things were shooting. I was going to stick my arm out, aim in the direction of the gunshots, and fire until either the thing hit the ground or the gunfire stopped. Waste of bullets? Yes. Likelihood of getting shot: Substantially low.

Taking a deep breath and quietly praying that my arm would not get blown off, I visualized where the robot had been earlier, stuck my arm out from behind the crate, and squeezed off a few shots. I was amazed for a moment as I felt the recoil on the gun. It was not as strong as I had imagined it to be. It was easy to fire one-handed. This gun and I could go places.

The elation of finding a worthy weapon quickly faded as I realized I had either missed my target, or it just would not die as easily as normal people would because the firing never ceased. I sighed. I was going to actually have to come out of hiding to fight the robots. That was just lovely. Readying myself, I jumped up from behind the crate, firing wildly at the robot as I did so. I tried to ignore the other robot's bullets as they bounced off the concrete around my feet.

My shots managed to clip the robot in the shoulder and chest before the third one connected with its head. Sparks shot out of its mask as it fell to the ground. I followed suit and dodge-rolled behind another crate. Well, that had turned out better than I expected. Although there was only one left, I had the sneaky suspicion that there would be more to come. After all, there were about eight doors in total, and only two robots had shown themselves.

This time I didn't think before I pounced out from behind the crate and ran straight for the other robot, firing as I did so. My aim or luck had improved and I managed to get a head shot on the second squeeze of the trigger. The robot clattered to the ground. I paused to gauge my situation as I reloaded the gun with a fresh magazine.

Two doors were already open, six were shut. I doubted that robots would continue to pop out of the already open doors as that would give me a clear shot of them whenever I did, making the exercise easier. So, robots were more than likely going to come out of the closed doors. Great. There were six of those, two of which just happened to be right beside me.

Sure enough, the sound of metal grating reached my ears as two more doors started to open, one on the wall opposite me, and one behind me. That was not going to be good given my position; so, I went and hid behind another crate. It seemed that was going to be a key factor in this session. Hide, shoot, hide some more, and try not to die.

I didn't hear when the robots' feet touched the floor, but I was able to tell they had when they started firing. Sighing, I slowly peeked above the crate to see exactly where they were: one on the left, one on the right, and both in a sort of V pattern in front of me. That shouldn't be too hard of a shot to line up. Trick was to not get my head blown off while trying to do the same to them.

Dropping my head back down behind the crate, I waited and listened to the bullets as they bounced off the crates protecting me. Perhaps there was a pattern to their crazed firing. Surely they had to reload their guns _eventually_. Unlike in movies and video games, guns did not somehow mysteriously reload themselves nor never run out of bullets. After three seconds of non-stop firing, I got tired of waiting. It was ridiculous—the way they were going about trying to kill me.

So, with my last good nerve finally blown, I popped my head and arm above the crate and fired two shots at the one on my left. Both hit the robot's helmet, granted in two different spots, and I ducked behind the crate just as I saw it crumbling to the ground. One more to go. I only waited a moment before reappearing from my hiding spot, that time running at the machine, and then shot at it. It, too, dropped to the ground 'dead.'

I paused again as I waited for two more doors to open. I was unfortunate the third go around. Both doors opened on the sides of the building closest to me. I was in clear shot for both robots.

"Holy crap!" I exclaimed as I took off running for the other side of the room.

I could hear the guns firing and bullets bouncing around me, but I tried not to focus on that. The only thing I had to worry about was getting behind some crates before those bullets finally decided to hit something besides concrete. Diving behind one, I quickly sat back up and peeked around the corner. I couldn't see where they were from this angle, meaning I was going to have to inch forward little by little. That was never a good thing.

Trying to suppress my fears, I slowly crept forward. I didn't get far before a piece of metal was chipped off the crate and smacked into my face. I cried out and quickly crawled backwards. Well, at least I knew where the robots _weren't_. They were _not_ on the left side of the crates. Perhaps both were on the right side.

I inched my way to the right side this time. I peeked out and caught a glimpse of one of the robots before I had to shrink back before getting blasted. Those two were not going to make it easy for me. The only way I could think about going about this one was to take out the one I had seen, see where the other was before ducking back down, then coming back up for a second go around. It was easy in theory, but then again, most plans were.

Emerging from behind the crate's right side, I squeezed off a few shots. That time I had pretty poor aim—hitting it in its knee and shoulder—but, one of the shots hit its helmet and down it went. I caught a glimpse of the other robot's gun out of the corner of my eye and instinct took over, forcing me to duck back behind the crate. I cursed at myself. I wasn't able to get a good look at the other one's location. I was going to have to do it again.

I waited two seconds before peeking above the crate. My eyes widened as I noticed the robot was standing in front of the crates on the far side instead of behind them like all the others had been doing. It pointed its rifle at me and I ducked back down. Standing in front of protection was a bold move, but it was also a great offensive maneuver, too. It meant the robot could press down on me better, faster, and more accurately than before. Being on the defensive in a gun fight was never a good thing.

While trying to come up with a way to take out the sixth robot, I decided to check my ammunition. I had one bullet left in this particular clip and two more magazines attached to my belt. I could replace the clip now, or chance the shot and replace it later. I did not have much confidence in my skills. It took an average of two to three shots for me to kill those robots if I was aiming at the head. I had yet to get a head shot on the first try. However, I could not bring myself to waste a perfectly good bullet.

Growling in frustration at both myself and the robot who had yet to stop shooting at me, I popped up above the crate holding the gun in the standard 'cop-form' way. Making sure not to panic as the bullets bounced off the crate, I aimed and squeezed the trigger. The bullet hit the robot square in the center of the helmet and dropped. I laughed.

"I will never be able to do that again," I said to myself as I got up and went to the center of the room.

Changing the magazine out for another one, I watched the two remaining doors carefully. This wave was going to be a lot easier. I knew which doors they would be coming out of, and since they had a habit of not shooting until their feet hit the floor, it would be possible for me to take at least one of them out before they did so. The doors started to rise and I waited patiently for the blue-clad machines to show themselves.

As soon as they did, I started firing. It took me two shots to take out the first one and only one shot to take out the second one—he fell into my bullet. I rubbed my eyebrows and moaned. Gunfights were amazingly tiring. That was probably because they were so stressful. I was most likely going to need nerve pills if I stayed with that kind of work. If Gaia had nerve pills, that was.

I jumped a little as the wall in front of me started to separate. Two giant slabs pulled away from one another and three corridors were made visible—along with a sniper rifle. I frowned.

"Congratulations. Session two completed. Session three: This exercise will focus on basic features of the rifle."

Oh, joy. Not only was I supposed to show how well I could do with a hand gun, but also a sniper rifle. The Turks sure were thorough when they went about hiring people, weren't they? Placing my gun back in its holster, I walked over to the rifle. It was lying on the floor along with four more cartridges of bullets. I frowned. Surely I wasn't suspected to use all of those bullets. Just how many targets were they going to throw at me?

I bent down and delicately picked up the weapon. My mind went back to the layout of the new room that had just opened up. Three new corridors had been opened, meaning that there were probably a different amount of nasties hiding in each section. I was going to have to take them out one at a time. Luckily, Shin-Ra had supplied me with more handy-dandy crates to hide behind. At least, on two of the sections. The center one was left out in the open. I'd have to hide behind the wall on that one.

Gripping the rifle in the standard way one was meant to be held—left hand on the foregrip, stock up against right shoulder—I crouched down and inched my way over to the first corridor. I stayed behind the crate and lifted the rifle up so I could look through the scope. At first I was thrown off by the magnification, but after alternating between the scope and the naked-eye, I was able to use the thing.

Two robots were standing on the ground below, while one was up above them on a second level. None of them had started firing yet, so I suspected they hadn't seen me yet. That was a good thing. I would do better at aiming without them shooting me. I decided to pick off one of the robots on the ground—the one on the left. Lining up the shot, I made sure I was steady, and squeezed the trigger. The rifle was louder than the hand gun, and my victory was short-lived.

As the robot fell to the ground, not only did the rifle blast echo off the dull, grey walls of the facility, but also the two robots saw their comrade fall. Quickly deducing that there was a threat to their own 'persons', and judging by which way the sound came from, they were easily able to pinpoint my location. I ducked behind the crate as the bullets started bouncing off it.

"Argh!" I roared, "Stop shooting at me!"

Of course, they didn't listen, and once again I found myself on the defensive. I was really starting to hate my job. Surely Turks did not spend most of their life hiding behind crates and walls getting shot at. Figuring that it was a pathetic show to stay trapped behind a crate, I decided I would try and impress Tseng, wherever the hell he might have been, and do everything completely irrational. Normal people would stay behind cover until the fire stopped and the opponent had to reload; idiots would stand up and shoot at the opponents while bullets bounced dangerously close to their fleshy hides; I decided to choose the option 'moron' and _crouch_ while shooting as enemy fire bounced around my fleshy head.

Raising my rifle back up and placing it upon the crate, I began to line up my sight onto the robot standing on the second level. Given the downward angle, he would have been able to shoot me more easily than the robot on the ground. I waited until his head stopped bobbing up and down and fired. The bullet struck right in the center of the jewel on the robot's head and down it went.

With the main threat gone, I focused my attention on the final robot of that section. Another squeeze of the trigger and it too fell. I stayed in my crouched position as I crawled my way over to the middle section of the room. I peeked from behind the wall. This time there were four robots: two on the floor and two on the second floor.

I squinted as I noticed a barrel in-between the two on the ground. I couldn't make out what it said on it, but it was highlighted in red. Red was usually a sign for danger. The barrel was most likely explosive. I snickered. Two birds with one stone, eh?

Lifting the rifle back up and placing it beside the wall, I aimed at the barrel and squeezed the trigger. Sure enough, it exploded; knocking out the two robots on the ground in a fireball.

"Ha-ha!" I shouted while grinning. Who didn't like big bangs?

The grin was quickly wiped off my face as the remaining robots began firing at me. I was forced to draw back as a bullet bounced off the concrete dangerously close to my face. Damn it, again; because then I had to worry about two enemies being at a wonderful position to blow my head off. I figured it would be best to take out the one on the right, farthest away from the wall I was on, and then take out the guy on the left. At least that way, only one of them could get a clear shot at me at a time.

Slowly inching forward, I brought the rifle up once more, and waited until the robot's head found its way into the center of my scope. I felt a piece of concrete smack painfully into the back of my hand, but I ignored it as I fired. The bullet hit the robot's helmet and it fell to the ground. Drawing back once more, I took a look at my hand. Blood was oozing out of the wound caused by the shrapnel. I frowned. The wound itself would cause me no problems, it wasn't major or anything; but, being a slight germaphobe, the thought of blood getting smeared all over me was not a pleasant one.

I sighed and inched forward a little more, trying to find the other robot with my sight. Once I had, I fired, struck its helmet, and down it went. Next, for the last remaining section. My legs were starting to burn, so I stood up and walked over to the next opening, my rifle held at my side. I peeked around the corner and saw another barrel with one robot on the ground and another on the balcony. Perhaps if I had started from the side I was standing at, things would have been a lot easier. I always seemed to go 'bassackwards' in everything I did.

I did not crouch like the last two times I had taken out the robots, and instead chose to take them out while standing. From that angle, I had a clear shot of both of them and saw no reason to hide behind the crate on the right side of the wall. I brought up the rifle in one fluid movement and shot the barrel. It exploded and knocked the robot on the ground into the wall. Ignoring the last robot as its bullets bounced off concrete, I raised the scope to my eye yet again and squeezed the trigger. Sparks spewed from its helmet as it fell. Mission accomplished.

_Ptang!_

Or so I thought.

"What the hell?" I shouted as I backed away from the opening.

There had been only two robots in that room, where were the bullets coming from? I peeked around the corner as the firing ceased. I didn't see anything. I narrowed my eyes in frustration. I hated not being able to tell what was shooting at me.

It only took a second or two before I spotted the culprit's helmet…hiding behind a barrel. The damn robots were starting to learn from me. That was _my_ trick, not _theirs_. That robot had no right hiding like a little coward that was my job! I raised the rifle and aimed. I waited for the machine to pop back up. It wouldn't.

"Oh, for the love of—"

I wasn't able to finish my sentence as the robot quickly jumped up from behind its crate and fired a few shots in my direction. Ignoring them, I quickly adjusted my aim and fired as well. I missed the first try, squeezed off another shot, and that time hit my target. It fell lifelessly to the floor. I backed away from the wall. I waited for a few moments for more robots to appear out of nowhere, but when none did, I relaxed.

The rumbling sound returned and I looked up to see the holes in the floor being bridged by a long metal plank. I waited—impatiently I might add—for them to finally reach my side and quickly walked across to the previously robot-occupied room. From here I could see four more corridors hidden in the walls. I frowned. More than likely, more robots were going to come out of them as well. The word 'training' was quickly finding its way onto the 'list of words Saan hates'. It was placed one step above the word 'stairs'.

"Congratulations," the annoying AI returned, "Session three complete. Session four: This exercise will focus on Materia."

My brow rose. Materia? As in the 'pwetty glowing wock' that the toddlers from Bill's farm had mentioned before? I thought only soldiers and other-. Oh, wait, the Turks must have been considered part of Shin-Ra's military then. Be it a very shady part of the military.

"Please place the rifle on the platform before you and choose a Materia orb," the computer continued.

Well, that was the most I had ever heard from the thing before. Looking around I noticed the aforementioned platform resting a little ways off to the right on the wall across from me. I walked over to it and placed the rifle down along with the three unspent magazines. I paused. There were no glowing rocks laying on the platform for me to choose.

"Um…" I muttered, "Computer lady?"

"A problem, Ms. Darnell?"

"The Materia would be where?" I asked.

"You have yet to specify what type of Materia you are to use in this exercise."

"Well, unfortunately, I am not very knowledgeable in the ways of glowing rocks. Might you please tell me or show me what you mean?" I replied.

I jumped back a little as a hologram appeared before me. Oh, that was so not cool. They had holographic technology! In this crappy, run-down training facility, they had holographic technology! Just how advanced was this Gaia?

"Materia," the computer began as three orbs—one red, one blue, and one yellow—appeared, "is created by the compression of Mako by artificial or natural means. Materia is used to-."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I mumbled. "I know _that_ much. I'll take the yellow one."

"Thunder Materia has been chosen," the computer said before finally going quiet.

I didn't have to wait long before said 'thunder' Materia was dispensed from a compartment on the platform I had placed the rifle on. I reached forward and grabbed it. My eyes widened a little as I felt the power within the thing tickling at my palm. Whoa. The rock was definitely not something one would find back on Earth.

I paused. I had not asked the kind-yet-annoying computer lady how to use the Materia. Perhaps I should not have been so hasty to shut her up moments before. Rolling the ball around in my palm, I tried to think of how to use it. It would have been stupid to carry around a round ball everywhere during the heat of battle, even if it _did_ cast magic on enemies; so, surely it had to go in or on _something_.

I blinked as the thought occurred to me. Earlier when Ronnie and I had been given our handguns, I had noticed a strange round hole on the side of it. At first I could not tell why it was there or if it was just for decoration. While holding the Materia, I figured that this little, round ball most likely belonged inside the groove. Placing the Materia into my left hand, I drew my pistol with my right. Without hesitation, I placed the yellow orb within the groove.

The gun reacted immediately and tiny sparks emitted from the orb. I yelped and nearly dropped it. Tseng was probably having a good laugh over how many times I was surprised by something in the entire training session. Catching the gun, I held it out in front of me, holding it loosely as if it were diseased. I was going to have to figure out how to use it _before_ I shocked myself to death.

The sound of gunfire reverberated off the walls once more. Groaning, I turned around. The bullets weren't aimed at me, not yet anyway, and instead were flying harmlessly behind me. Both streams of bullets came directly across from one another and originated down two of the corridors. I quickly surmised that I was to defeat however many robots were hiding in those corridors with the Thunder Materia I had been given. Too bad I did not know how to use it.

Again, I mentally slapped myself for hushing the AI earlier. She probably would have explained to me how to use it. I frowned and brought the gun closer to my face to inspect the ball. If I fired a shot, it would no doubt fire a bullet. So, how was I to fire a 'Materia shot'?

Materia allowed the user to cast magic. In all kinds of media on Earth, those who used magic usually concentrated and somehow willed whatever they were using—wand, staff, crystal, chant—to cast the magic they wanted. Perhaps Materia worked the same way. Maybe it was a good thing I had a _Charmed_ geek in my friend group when I was younger.

I took a deep breath. No matter how pathetic I would look if that trick didn't work, I decided to go for it. I tried to focus on the yellow ball in the gun. Note: I had no idea how one was supposed to focus on magical instruments, but I went with what I had. Slowly, I pointed the barrel of the gun out in front of me, my arm straight, and tried to will the ball to shoot. Nothing happened.

I frowned, "Alright, dammit, do something. I ain't got all day here."

That didn't seem to work either. I brought the gun back towards me to look at the Materia. Willing it to do something would not work—or I just was not good at that trick—and yelling at it wasn't going to work either. What were my other options?

"Thunder?" I half-asked.

Then I nearly screamed as a shot of electricity exploded from the barrel of the gun, passed mere inches in front of my face, and slammed into the wall beside me. A small explosion followed from the impact and pieces of debris rained down to the floor. Well, I figured out the easiest way to use it. Nearly lost my face in the process, but a win was a win.

With newfound knowledge of all things Materia, or so I liked to tell myself, I walked my way over to one of the corridors the bullets were hailing from. Peeking out, I spotted three robots firing wildly out into the open room behind me. If I quickly ran out between the walls, fired a thunder shot at them, and quickly dodged behind the other side of the wall, the likelihood of being hit by a bullet was pretty low. I prayed that my aiming with magic was a little better than my aiming with the handgun itself.

Rushing out from my hiding place, I pointed the barrel of the gun in the direction of the robots.

"Thunder!" I exclaimed once more.

I heard the crackle of electricity as another 'thunderbolt' shot out of the Materia, and then dived behind the wall. I waited there a few seconds as my brain tried to register what was going on around me. The lack of gunfire near my head was the first thing I picked up. I narrowed my eyes in confusion and walked back to the corridor opening.

"Whoa…"

The three robots lay sparking on the ground and were obviously dead. It stood to reason that anything electric would be blown by a stronger electrical surge, but I had no idea it would have been _that _effective; or that the thunderbolt would have reached that far for that matter. I grinned as I looked down at the little yellow ball resting inside my gun. Now I understood why Shin-Ra used these things so much. They were extremely effective. Perhaps if we had such things back on Earth, humanity would not have had to resort to using nuclear power to power its homes…or its weapons.

I made my way calmly to the other side of the building where the second wave of gunfire was coming from. Needing only one shot using the Thunder Materia, this next part was going to be a breeze. Or perhaps I should say a flash to stick with the electric puns? Nah, I won't go that far.

Squeezing myself up against the wall, I peered out into the hallway. Sure enough, three more robots were waiting for me to stick my head out just enough to pump it full of holes. I smirked. Fat chance of that happening. I quickly leapt from my side of the wall, pointed the gun in their direction and yelled:

"Thunder!"

This time I stayed rooted where I was to see how the thunderbolt would behave. It shot out in an uncharacteristically straight line for electricity, came to mere inches before the robots, and exploded in three spherical balls of energy. With a loud crackling noise, the three robots were hit, and fell to the floor. If I had known how to twirl a gun like they did in the 'Old West', I would have. That was how awesome I felt wielding the Materia.

"Congratulations," the computer's voice rang throughout the hollow room, "session four complete."

I heard a locking mechanism unlatch from somewhere off to my left and turned to see a door that had been beside the platform that now held the sniper rifle. I must have missed it when I was too busy focusing on the hologram earlier…How else could I have not noticed something as big as a door?

"Proceed through the door and take the stairs to the top floor," the computer commanded.

Rolling my eyes, I walked over to the door. After opening the door I looked up and noticed two flights of stairs. One flight led to a landing that had a door—most likely to get out of the compound—and then another that was most likely leading to whatever the hell I was supposed to do next. I groaned. The Turks' training was way too long for my liking. So far, there hadn't really been anything I liked about the Turks—except for Reno. Reno seemed to have an interesting personality, even though I had only seen him a total of two times since Ronnie and I'd been in Midgar. I was always too quick to judge other people.

I made my way up the stairs, turned the corner, and stopped mid-step. My eyes had fallen upon a gun turret. There was a _gun turret_ course in this…course. What in the hell would the Turks need a GUN TURRET for? Seriously, the American military hardly even used those now-a-days. Or should I say then-a-days given the current situation of the planet Earth?

"Session five: This exercise will focus on the gun turret," the computer said, as if it wasn't blatantly obvious.

I holstered my gun and walked over to the gun turret. Never in my life had I used one of them before. They were never encountered in my line of work. I was aware that Naval ships had humongous ones and some forms of aircraft, especially older ones, had turrets; but, my 'puny' little fighter jet did not. And since I was mostly stationed in the sky, I never encountered those that are on the ground or in a tank.

Even if I had been previously exposed to this kind of weapon, no officer in his/her right mind would put _me_ of all people behind the trigger. I weighed a little over one hundred pounds. That figure might seem light, but I actually had to gain weight to join the military. Due to having genetically skinny parents and a high metabolism, I pretty much stopped gaining weight when I became a teenager. It wasn't as fun as it sounds.

Going by the laws of physics, something as big and powerful as a gun turret would almost definitely whip my tiny, little body around like some kind of a ragdoll. Though that would be a hilarious video to put on YouTube, or Midgar's equivalent, it was not an image I wanted to play through my head; or an experience I wanted to go through. Also, there were no seatbelts on gun turrets.

I sighed. No matter how much I thought it was a bad idea, I was going to have to do it anyway. It was required of me to move on and get the job and, frankly, I feared that Ronnie might not be able to pass the course. I had previous experience with firearms and that was what allowed me to get as far as I had. Ronnie had not, but he was about to get a crash course in everything with the added pressure of having to stay alive. If anything like that happened, I would be the one forced to pay the bills. I _had_ to get the job.

Pushing away all my worries, I climbed into the seat of the gun turret. No bullets were visibly hanging out of the chamber or anything, so I figured they were fed to it through the floor somehow. I had no idea how many bullets the thing had in total, but I hoped it would be enough to shoot all the robots that were going to appear.

My butt had only been in the seat a matter of moments before a wave of robots entered the room below me from the center corridor. Taking a deep breath, I aimed and depressed the trigger. Bullets fired wildly from the barrel of the gun, and the recoil, added to the vibration of the chair, had me not only nearly knocked clear to the floor but it also made me lose concentration. I had been right to assume that this thing was going to kick my ass worse than what I was going to do to the robots. The nozzle of the gun lifted upward and bullets started to tear at the wall opposite of me. I was going to have to get control of the turret and fast if I wanted to take the damn robots out.

Somehow I managed to gain a little control over the machine and, still firing, pointed it back downwards into the stream of robots—all of which were shooting at me. The gun turret, though mostly inaccurate, was extremely powerful and whenever a bullet struck one of the robots they would almost do a somersault into the air only to crash back down roughly on the floor. If I had not been getting beat up by the weapon I was using, I would have laughed in amusement.

It only took a matter of seconds for the first ten robots, give-or-take a few, to be decommissioned. However, I had only won the battle and not the war. As soon as my finger loosened its grip on the trigger, another wave began to come forward.

"Rah!" I roared in aggravation.

Seriously, those things just _would not_ give me a break. Aiming the turret back at them, I squeezed the trigger and began the process of elimination all over again. A few more seconds of teeth chattering vibration later, they were all lying in rubble on the ground. This time, even though I released the trigger, I was sure to wait for the next wave. I would not be free from that hell-hole until the computer lady told me I could leave. I might as well get comfortable.

Aiming a little further back into the corridor, I waited. As soon as the new robots started to appear, I began blasting. I had actually picked up that little trick from watching a former classmate of mine play an old, war-type computer game back on a Mac. The character he was playing as was in a turret (appropriate) and the enemy was approaching the shore he was supposed to protect via LVT's. He waited until the door to them dropped and then began firing madly into the soldiers before they even had a chance to step one foot out onto the sand. Well, it worked for my classmate; I figured it would work for me as well.

It did work, to some extent. I was able to take out a little more than half of them that way, but a few were able to slip past and make their way to the crates that littered the floor below. That was not cool. With my poor controlling of the gun turret, it made it difficult to hit the robots instead of the crates. Once or twice before, two of the robots tried to make a break to where I was and I just barely managed to take them out before they reached the stairs below. After that there were four hiding behind the crates, and the crates seemed to be the only damn thing I could hit.

"Shit!" I exclaimed as I continued to fire at them.

One went down and then another; however, yet again, two escaped and even though I tried to stop them, they made it past my defense. The stairs! They were headed for the stairs so that they could come up behind me and try to take me out that way. I quickly swiveled in the chair to position the gun turret in the direction I had come from. Accidently forgetting to take my finger off the trigger, bullets bounced everywhere as they struck the concrete walls in a nice upside-down 'U' pattern.

"Oops," I muttered, finally releasing the button.

I waited for what felt like forever for the robots to emerge from the doorway so I could blast them to kingdom come. Perhaps they had learned that, from my erratic firing ways, it was too dangerous and that they should hang back. One of the robots' head appeared. No, apparently they had not.

"Die, dammit!" I shouted as I depressed the button once more.

I was a little shocked to see the damage the gun turret could do at close range. The bullets sliced through the robot almost like a knife and it went flying into the wall. The other one rounded the corner just in time to be struck by its fallen comrade. Even though they both clattered to the floor, I made sure to keep firing at them. I was not going to risk the chance of the second robot coming to life. When I finally thought they both were dead, which did not take long, I stopped.

Breathing heavily, I waited for the computer's approval.

"Congratulations."

Thank God, I was through!

"Session five complete. This concludes the Turks Administrative Research Department simulation program. You may return to your station. Shin-Ra Manufacturing salutes you on a job well done."

Halle-freakin'-lujah, I was finished! I quickly jumped from the gun turret, ran down the stairs two at a time, and flung open the door.

"Sweet freedom!" I shouted before collapsing to the ground.

I froze. The shoes in front of me seemed oddly familiar. Ah, damn. Slowly I raised my head and caught myself looking up at no one other than Tseng himself—one eyebrow raised in amusement.

"I see your finished," he said matter-of-factly.

I narrowed my eyes at him. Yes, I was finished, you way-too-bosslike-take-your-job-too-seriously man! At least, that's what I thought. I settled for replying with:

"Yes."

"I'll have my superior look at the footage later to determine where you will be placed within our ranks and what types of assignments you will be given," Tseng continued as I pushed myself off the ground. "Your friend should already be starting his training."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "If he dies, I'm going to be extremely pissed with you."

Tseng almost looked taken aback. If he was, it was most likely from my coarse language instead of the thought of being blamed. Being a 'superior officer', he was most likely very accustomed to blame.

"Then let's hope he doesn't die," Tseng replied before turning away. He only took a few steps before pausing and looking over his shoulder, "You can watch his progress if you're interested."

I waited a few seconds, rolling that thought over in my mind, before replying. A smirk slowly found its way to my lips.

"Oh, I'm definitely interested…"

**A/N: Yes, I based this WHOLE chapter on the Turks 101 thing from Dirge of Cerberus. You have no idea how happy I was for them to include something like that in the game. It gave me more than enough opportunity to steal it, muah hahaha! I did a lot of research over guns and stuff for this chapter. Real guns, not Cerberus. Cerberus does not count for it has three barrels that only hold six bullets each thus giving it the eighteen bullet count per magazine. **_**Anyways**_**, I'm surprised no one's stopped me thinking I'm planning to massacre everyone since I'm always looking up weapons –coughs-. Next chapter will reveal a little tiny portion of Ronnie's performance of the training session, but the whole thing will not be based solely on it like this one was, so if this chapter was torture for you, don't worry. You will never have to go through this hell ever again. I don't think. Reviews (even flames) and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated. Thank you.**

_**Edit: More errors towards the end; most were tense issues. NCIS is quite distracting, might I add.**_


	6. Getting the Assignments

**A/N: I have returned once again. I got my refund check from college and used the money to buy a new computer, so the updating process should come a lot smoother now. I also attempted to make a trailer for this fan fic, but due to some unknown problem, it won't let me save the darn thing. ;-; Poo… Anyways, I would like to thank all of those who have reviewed so far by giving you all pie. Those who have only read and not reviewed get cupcakes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII nor CNN, and due to too much art homework I am unable to come up with anything else witty to say. –sigh-**

_**Edited on 18 Sept 2010 for errors and goofs.**_

Tseng and I left the training facility and walked to a small room. Inside was the standard observation devices—tons of television screens and a lot of buttons that did something. I had no idea what they were for and I figured it best not to push them.

"Please have a seat," Tseng said as he motioned to the chairs placed in front of the monitors.

He himself sat down in the chair on the left-hand side. I took the right. Before me on the screens was, sure enough, almost every angle imaginable of the inside of the training facility. I quickly spotted Ronnie on one of the left screens. He had just made it into the first room. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and looked over at Tseng. He had extended a roll of bandages towards me. For a second I was confused as to why he was handing me them, but then I noticed the blood on the back of my hand. Oh, yeah. I had forgotten about that. I took the bandages from him.

"So…" I began as I wrapped my hand, "you saw everything."

"That surprises you?" Tseng asked looking back at the screens. "After all, what kind of company would Shin-Ra be if it did not supervise its employees?"

True, I thought as I finished wrapping my hand. I placed the bandages off to the side.

"Besides, did you not look up at a camera earlier?" Tseng asked with slight amusement.

The corners of my mouth tried to lift in a smile of embarrassment. Yes, I usually smiled when embarrassed. It was an odd habit I had picked up from who-knows-where. I bit my bottom lip to disguise the gesture.

I turned my attention back to the screens and watched Ronnie fumble with the door. _Go for the robot, stupid._ I couldn't help but think. _Go for the robot._ Sure, when I went through the facility I, too, had tried the door instead of the strange vacuum-cleaner robot; but, now that I had cleared the training session I thought it a bit obvious about what the thing was for. I had a weird habit of thinking that, if I knew something, everybody else should have already known it too. It was a stupid thought process, but, like the embarrassed smile, I had picked it up from _somewhere_ and could not seem to get rid of it.

I frowned.

"Wait, why is he fumbling with the door? Wasn't he allowed to see me go through the course?" I asked looking over at Tseng.

His eyes never left the screens, "No. That would give him an unfair advantage, don't you think?"

I scowled and looked back at the screens. Again, Tseng was right. I needed to stop seeing the exercise from a guinea pig point of view and more from a scientist's perspective. Of course Ronnie wouldn't've been allowed to see my progress. That would have allowed him to see exactly where everything was hidden and what to expect. In the real world, one was very seldom that informed of his/her enemies' territory.

It didn't take Ronnie long to figure out that there was going to be no way in hell for him to get through the locked door by constantly jiggling the handle; however, he still had not figured out that the robot was the objective of this whole exercise. Ronnie looked around the room in an attempt to find out what he had missed. He went for the crates.

My head hit the table—miraculously not pushing any buttons—and I whined. Not the crates, the robot! Go for the robot, genius! I was reminded of the time I would watch Ronnie do his math tests after I had already turned mine in. Every time he would do a problem wrong, I found myself cringing. I used to try to warn him by making noises. He caught on quickly. However, one time I overdid it and he wound up getting so frustrated that he turned the test in not even halfway completed. Oops.

"Your friend doesn't catch on to things as quickly as you do," Tseng said as he continued to watch.

"No," I replied, shaking my head as it remained on the table, "no, he doesn't."

I leaned back up and watched as Ronnie went to every single crate, inspecting for a way to open it. He probably figured that the key was in one of them. I might have too; if not for the fact that they were all metal and pretty much soldered shut. After he had gone around the crates and was sure that they could not open, he _finally_ decided to investigate the robot.

"Does this thing have sound?" I asked randomly.

It wasn't really a random question in my mind. I had a funny feeling a lot of things were going to be happening to Ronnie in the very near future and I wanted to be able to hear every word out of his mouth as they did so. Especially when he would realize that the robot he was now approaching was electric. Tseng didn't respond, but leaned forward and pushed a button. The sound of Ronnie's boots connecting with the floor could be heard. Wow. Shin-Ra had some impressive sound quality on their cameras.

Ronnie walked over to the robot and went to pick it up; probably thinking it was a harmless vacuum-cleaner like I had. Oh, boy was he wrong.

_Bzzt!_

"A-ha!" Ronnie exclaimed as he was knocked back a few feet.

I cringed, "Ow…"

"Oh, don't worry," Tseng commented as Ronnie picked himself off the floor, "the shock it delivers is not as strong as it seems."

I wouldn't know. I had been fortunate enough not to touch the damn thing and get shocked into oblivion.

The next go-around Ronnie approached the robot carefully. Slowly, he stuck his foot out and tipped to robot over. I snickered. He had decided to go easier on it than I had. Once he had spotted the green button I knew was on the underside of it, he pushed it, got up and went to the door.

I watched with a sense of dread as he progressed through the facility. I knew what was coming, and for some odd reason, that made me more nervous. Sure enough, when Ronnie got to the bottom of the stairs, the sword-wielding robots appeared. I held my breath. Ronnie was a better fighter than I was at close combat—I guessed that came from the childhood he had—but fists rarely could ever stand up to swords.

I cringed again as Ronnie dodged a slash—the sword slicing into the wall. He 'meep'ed and ran to the other side of the hallway, which wasn't very far to run I might add. Suddenly, for whatever reason, he went back to the side he had just come from and did something I never would have expected.

When the robot had sliced into the wall, it had also cleaved a pipe in two. Ronnie had seen this and judged it as a possible weapon. He ran over to it, gripped it firmly, and broke it off at the seam. My mouth dropped as he spun around and started to beat the ever-lovin'-shit out of the robots.

"Perhaps he's not as bad as you thought?" Tseng asked as he cast me a side-ways glance.

I returned it, my arms crossed, "If you want to hire a thug…"

Tseng hummed and we both returned to watching the fight unfolding before us. It didn't take Ronnie long to make quick work of the robots. Well, he had made it through the first two trials, but could he make it through the other three? Ronnie entered the room for the handgun course and my hands quickly found their way to my eyes.

"Tell me when he dies," I mumbled nervously.

There was a pause before Tseng replied, "I'm glad to know you have such faith in your comrades."

I separated my fingers to look at him, "The only experience he's had with a fire arm is a toy gun."

Tseng's voice gained that familiar twinge of amusement, "You were wrong before."

I scowled at him and closed my fingers. For someone who seemed so uncaring, he sure believed in Ronnie's ability to perform and meet expectations. Maybe that uncaring atmosphere was only that: an atmosphere. An atmosphere that had been achieved over years of hard-ass employers who didn't give a damn about the common man and who only saw its employees as assets and expendable ones at that. I wouldn't doubt it. During the last few years on Earth, a lot of the world's companies had turned out to be nothing more than uncaring assholes. Maybe Tseng wasn't as bad as I first thought him to be.

Briefly, I removed my hands just a little to peek at the screens. No firing had started yet, so I felt it was safe. It was not safe for long. The doors that were hidden in the walls started to rise. My fingers quickly found their way over my eyes again. I almost whined as the familiar sound of gunshots reached my ears. I didn't hear any screaming from Ronnie so I figured he had not been shot yet. That was a good sign. Maybe he would make it through the rest of the course in one piece.

A few minutes passed by with nothing but the sounds of gunshots and ricocheting bullets accompanied with the random swear word courtesy of Ronnie. Finally, I gave up and just had to ask.

"How's he doing?"

"If you would remove your hands from your eyes, you might be able to see for yourself," Tseng replied.

"Don't patronize me. How is he doing?" I asked again.

"Well, he's not dead."

I had to bite my tongue to keep from replying. I had almost said, 'Alright, smart ass,' but I was unsure if I would get reprimanded for insulting a superior officer or not. Lately, it didn't seem like Tseng much cared about things like that. Then again, he did work with Reno, so he was probably exposed to name calling anyway. Calling someone 'boss man' in the U.S. Air Force was not a good idea. No, definitely not a good idea…

The firing went on for another minute or two and then all sound ceased. I slowly brought my hands down. Ronnie was standing in the center of the ring a little out of breath. I squinted and leaned forward. I had spotted something on his arm. My eyes widened a bit before narrowing again.

I turned my head slowly to look at Tseng. The look he gave me was blank; as if to say, 'What? It was a gun fight. People get shot in gun fights.' I looked back at the screen. The only sign that Ronnie was in pain was visible on his face. From the looks of the wound, it appeared that the bullet had only grazed his arm and caused a flesh wound. However, from this far away, it was hard for me to be sure.

The two, huge columns of concrete separated as they had done before with me, and the rifle made itself visible. I decided I would watch that course. The chances of Ronnie getting shot with that particular part were substantially lower than with the handgun since he would have crates to hide behind and the enemies were farther away than before. Though, it might take a little longer depending on how well his aiming was.

And it did take longer. Apparently, Ronnie was a very terrible shot even though he had a scope. Once he even bumped into one of the crates because he tried to maneuver while looking through the scope, instead of lowering the rifle and walking like any normal human being. I thought I even heard a quiet, brief chuckle from Tseng. I on the other hand was shaking my head in shame.

Eventually, Ronnie finished the rifle portion and moved onto the Materia part. I grinned as I tried to imagine what Materia he would choose and how he would figure out how to use it. Ronnie, too, had no idea what the computer meant when it said to choose, so he also got the wonderful hologram tutorial. However, unlike me, he listened to everything it had to say about it.

I found out that the other two—the red and the blue—had been Fire and Blizzard Materia, and that those two and Thunder were the three most basic Materia given to the Turks and soldiers of Shin-Ra. I was also informed that Materia was activated two different ways. Either one could say the name of the Materia, which got an automatic response from the rock. Or, as one's experience with casting magic increased, he/she could simply will the rock to cast. Hmm…so, that's why it didn't work for me. I was not experienced enough. Damn picky rock…

It was no surprise to me when Ronnie chose Fire. He was a little pyromaniac when we were younger. Granted he was a stupid, little pyromaniac because he tried to smother a fire with a wad of paper, but he was a pyromaniac nonetheless. Ronnie took the red orb in hand after the platform had dispensed it and stared at it. I started to smirk. This was going to be interesting.

The bullets started flying and Ronnie jumped a little. He quickly figured out that he was to defeat the robots using the Materia…however he did not figure out it was to be used in the slot on his handgun. I slapped my forehead. Tseng was giving me a curious look. I turned to face him.

"He didn't put it in his gun," I stated matter-of-factly.

"Materia _will_ work when not junctioned with a weapon," Tseng replied.

"But will it work as well?" I asked.

"In a sense of aiming? Probably not."

Feeling that my point had been proven, I turned and refaced the monitors. Ronnie had made his way to one of the corridors. He steadied himself and then burst from behind the wall, held the Materia out in front of him, and shouted:

"Fire!"

His hand glowed red momentarily as a strangely spherical fireball shot off towards the robot. Ronnie yelped and dropped the Materia—it bounced away. I cringed as I watched the fireball veer to the left. For a second I feared that it would miss them and that Ronnie would be completely exposed to their bullets—his only line of defense _was_ rolling across the floor. However, my fears were quickly brushed aside as the fireball struck the left robot, exploded into an even greater fireball, and all three robots fell to the ground.

"Well," I muttered, "that went better than I thought it would."

"The Fire and Thunder Materia are most effective against multiple targets. It was actually quite fortunate for the two of you to pick them," Tseng remarked.

"Really?" I asked looking at him, "What does Blizzard do?"

Tseng paused before answering, "Its lowest level shoots only one shard of ice at an opponent."

Avoid Blizzard when fighting lots of people. Got it. Ronnie did a brief celebratory dance before rushing for the little ball that lay glittering on the floor. He then ran over to the other side and did the same maneuver, only that time he kept a hold of the Materia, and the three robots exploded in a spectacle worthy of the Fourth of July. Or whatever holiday Midgar had that let them shoot off fireworks.

"Oh, no," I breathed as it dawned on me.

"The gun turret?" Tseng asked, quickly guessing the cause of my distress.

"The gun turret…" I blinked and looked at him, "I'm never going to have to use one of those, am I?"

Tseng chuckled. Yes, that time I had actually heard it. He chuckled.

"With your previous performance? No," he replied.

I frowned, "What _exactly_ is that supposed to mean?"

Tseng returned to his normal bland self, "Don't take it the wrong way. Your aim with the gun turret was about average, however-."

"It kicked my ass?" I asked, knowing full well that was the problem.

"To put it bluntly."

Ronnie weighed at least thirty pounds more than me. I doubted that the gun turret would toss him around as much as it had done to me; however, poor, old Ronnie still was not the best marksman in the world. The rapid fire of the gun turret also made it very difficult to aim if one did not have complete concentration. That was a little hard to do when your brain was too busy going, 'Dude! I'm firing, like, 600 rounds per minute!'

Tseng and I watched as Ronnie got to the gun turret, inspected it, and then sat down. This was the moment of truth. The last session he would have to do before he would be free. How well would he do it?

I'm not going to lie, it was not pretty. The robots came and Ronnie started firing. Too bad he was hitting the floor at the robots' feet more than he was actually hitting the robots. I felt like covering my eyes in shame, but I just could not look away from the sight before me. After killing a few crates, Ronnie finally killed the robots. One out of about three waves done.

The second wave arrived, and dammit if Ronnie didn't aim for the ceiling. My eyes widened.

"The ground, you idiot!" I exclaimed, trying my best to ignore Tseng staring at me as if I'd lost my mind, "Shoot at the ground, not the ceiling!"

Another second of ceiling-killing passed before Ronnie corrected his line of sight, and he started pounding away at…the crates. Again. I slapped my forehead.

"Oh, for the love of Pete," I muttered.

After non-stop firing at one particular crate, Ronnie decided to adjust his aim a mere inch and finally took out the robot he had been aiming at all that time. Two of the robots slipped past and made their way towards the stairs. It was the same trick they had used on me.

"The stairs!" I screeched as I nearly jumped up from my chair, "They're going to pop up behind you!"

"He can't hear you," Tseng tried to reason.

"I know!" I groaned in exasperation.

Sure enough it wasn't long before the robots appeared behind Ronnie. One shot at him, causing me to flinch. Finally noticing the danger, Ronnie swiveled around, cutting a path into the walls as he did so, and then fired at the robots that had snuck up behind him. They both were hit and went flying through the air. Ronnie waited, too long in my opinion, before swiveling back around.

The third wave had already arrived. Once again, Ronnie opened fire. And, once again, he hit more crates than he did robots. Only, this time, four robots attempted to break through his defense. Ronnie had been lucky enough to take out two of them before they reached the stairs, but two squeezed past. It seemed those things always traveled in pairs…

That time, Ronnie knew that they would appear behind him, so he swiveled around and waited. Both robots appeared almost simultaneously and Ronnie opened fire. He only managed to kill one of them. The second one did some weird side-step maneuver and in the blink of an eye it reached Ronnie. My eyes widened.

Ronnie swiveled and fired…beside the robot. I screamed. The robot wasn't even a foot away from him, and he still couldn't hit the damn thing! What was worse was that he was wasting nearly ten bullets a second trying to hit the stupid robot.

"What the hell are you doing?" I shouted. "Hit it!"

In some odd twist of fate, the robot took my advice instead of Ronnie. Believe it or not, even though the robot was at point blank range, it did not fire. Instead it smacked Ronnie with the butt of its rifle. My mouth dropped as Ronnie's head rocked back from the impact. Stupid robot! … Stupid Ronnie _and_ stupid robot!

That blow to the head must have brought Ronnie to his senses because he _finally_ moved the turret the few inches it took and shot the robot, which crashed violently into the wall behind it. My head hit the table in relief. He'd done it. His performance might not have been the best in the world, but he had managed to live through the entire training course.

I heard Tseng get up beside me, "Shall we go congratulate your friend on 'a job well done'?"

Even though his voice had been even when he said it, I _knew_ there was sarcasm in that question. I gave a chuckle and slid out of the chair I was sitting in. We walked back to the training facility to see Ronnie already making his way towards us. Believe it or not there was a smile on his face. Both Tseng and I stopped walking. Ronnie met up with us.

"Death, destruction, and mayhem. My work here is done," he grinned before walking between Tseng and me and off towards the way we came.

Tseng and I shared a look. We both flinched a little as a loud boom sounded from the training facility. I did not want to think about what Ronnie had done for the building to make _that_ noise.

"He is never allowed near any guns ever again," I said matter-of-factly.

"I think I agree with you on that," Tseng replied as dust started to rise into the air from the building.

**-FFVII—**

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?" I shouted at Ronnie.

Both he and I had been escorted from the Shin-Ra building and brought back to our new home not too long before. Needless to say, I didn't waste any time in reprimanding Ronnie for his not-so-wise decisions on the 'battlefield'.

"Whaaat?" Ronnie asked as he focused on bandaging his arm. Turned out, it was nothing but a flesh wound after all.

"You shot at the ceiling!" I exclaimed, motioning towards our own roof.

Ronnie gave me a look as he held the gauze beneath his chin. I had to admit, that was quite an amusing look.

"I was _trying_ to bring down the ceiling so it would crush them all," he replied as he reached for the scissors on the kitchen table.

"You did bring down the ceiling!" I shouted back, "_After_ you left!"

Ronnie scoffed. He took the piece of the bandage that was loose and hanging and cut it away from the rest. He then placed the scissors on the table and picked up the surgical tape.

"And what the hell was up with you firing at the crate when the robot was a freakin' inch away from it?" I asked, crossing my arms.

Ronnie began taping the bandage together, "I don't know. Maybe I thought I could heat up the crate enough that, when the robot touched the crate, it would burn its hand and drop its gun."

All expression vanished from my face. He could not be serious. Not only did those things never remove their hands from their guns, but they were robots. They probably didn't even have pain or heat receptors!

"And the time the robot was standing right in front of you and you couldn't hit it?" I asked blankly.

Ronnie slammed the tape down on the table, "I don't know, okay! Jeez. I got through it, didn't I? That's all that matters."

I groaned and rubbed my eyebrows. It was pointless to be arguing over something so stupid, I supposed. He was right. He _did_ make it through the course without dying. But, who knew what missions they would assign him since he was so bad at using firearms? Come to think about it, what _did_ the Turks do exactly? Wow, that's a question to be asking _after_ you've already joined them. Good going there, Sonya.

I sighed, walked over to the table, and sat down. It was only a little after noon but I was already bushed. Spending nearly an hour dodging bullets can do that to a person. Ronnie on the other hand seemed to be a bouncing ball of energy, quite literally. His foot was already a jackhammer on the floor. I wouldn't doubt it if he probably wouldn't've bandaged his arm had I not pointed it out to him. He had yet to fix the cut above his brow from where the robot had hit him earlier, too.

"So, when do you think we'll get our first assignment?" Ronnie asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Who knows?" I replied as I leaned my head over the back of the chair and closed my eyes.

"Dude, I can't wait," he continued, starting to bounce up and down in his seat.

The squeaking of the table caused by his bouncing finally registered to me after a few seconds. I slapped my hand down to silence it. I was developing another headache. It probably would not be my last. Raising my head up slightly, I opened an eye to look at Ronnie. He was watching me with one brow raised.

"Why _exactly_ are you so excited about this job?" I asked before closing my eye once again.

"Because," Ronnie asked, "it gives me something to do? I don't know about you, but I can't handle another night of Chocobos."

"Mmph," I grunted in agreement.

Though I had more patience than Ronnie when it came to such things as boredom, I probably would not be able to handle another night of big, yellow birds running around on some funkified, futuristic race track. The memory of the laser show only seemed to make my headache worse.

"Do you even know what the Turks do?" I asked, rubbing my eyebrows with my thumb and forefinger. The question was more for me than for Ronnie.

"Drink beer, steal, blow stuff up, and look awesome?" Ronnie asked excitedly.

I paused. Hey, wha? Slowly, I brought my hand down and opened both eyes to look at him. Sure enough, he had a big, dopey grin on his face. I didn't know what he was smoking, but I wanted in on it. Maybe it would have helped with my pain…

"Where the _hell_ did you come up with that?" I asked in slight disbelief.

"…The fact that Reno was at a bar, and we blew shit up in that training thingy earlier? Plus, you have got to admit, these suits are _awesome!_" Ronnie replied. He grabbed his jacket from behind him and held it up—tear in the arm from the bullet clearly visible.

"No," I replied, "they're not. And, okay, I'll give you the drinking and the blowing-shit-up parts, but the stealing?"

"You're right, they'd probably only leave that stuff to me. I mean, you didn't even rob that guy from a few days ago."

I rolled my eyes before reclosing them. Let him believe whatever strange fantasies he would; I highly doubted that the Turks occupation would be as 'fun' and lenient as what he was describing. And most respecting business companies did not let their employees steal. Most. There were some majorly shady groups back where we came from.

Ronnie got up from the table, rather loudly I might add, and clomped his way into the living room. He was most likely going to turn on the TV. Yes, that was what it was. The volume of the accursed box pierced into my brain. I would have stayed where I was, comfortable in the kitchen chair, had I not been rudely interrupted by one of the basic needs of human functioning.

I stared up at the ceiling as my stomach grumbled loudly. I hadn't eaten breakfast that morning. Slowly, I turned my head to look at the refrigerator. I knew what was in it. Practically nothing was in it. My mind briefly began to wander. We had no food. We had no money to get food. I wondered if Gaia had anything like a food stamp program. When I was younger we used to get food stamps.

Ignoring my inner monologue, I dragged myself out of the chair and to the refrigerator door. I opened it and peered inside. Immediately, I frowned. What little food _was_ in there was not ready-to-eat. Someone was going to have to cook. I could not cook to save my life. Hmm.

"Ronnie!" I called out over my shoulder.

"What?" He called back.

"Come in here and make lunch."

"Why?"

I stared blankly into the frig, "Because I said so, that's why. I'm freakin' hungry."

"Theeen, cook something?"

"…"

Ronnie sighed, "Alright, fine."

Smirking in triumph, I stepped back from the refrigerator and walked towards the living room. I grinned sweetly at Ronnie as I passed him. He narrowed his eyes at me. Yes, I'm using you, and I know you know. Gently, as not to jar my brain, I sat down on the couch and picked up the remote. I was about to change the channel before something caught my eye. I blinked.

The channel was similar to CNN, with the information that runs down at the bottom of the screen, but that was not what I had noticed. I saw the night before. No, it was what the information was talking about that interested me. It was mentioning the war in Wutai. I placed the remote back down on the coffee table and leaned forward so I could see well. Why did they always have to write those things so darn tiny?

I grew impatient as the numbers of soldiers sent to Wutai flashed on the screen along with how many had either gone missing or were killed. I had gotten enough of that stuff back on Earth; I didn't like seeing it on Gaia, too. Wait a minute. I reached for the remote then paused.

"Of course," I mumbled as I noticed the lack of a certain red-dotted button, "They don't have DVR."

Frustrated, I slammed the remote back on the coffee table and waited for the tape at the bottom to roll back around. After two or three more messages—all about Shin-Ra—the previous message I had seen before reappeared.

"Ah-ha!" I exclaimed as I pointed at the screen. "I am _not_ insane!"

"What?" Ronnie asked from the kitchen.

"SOLDIER is in all caps!" I grinned in triumph. Damn TV trying to make me think I was seeing things. Take that!

"Huh?" Ronnie asked as he walked into the living room.

"The Shin-Ra SOLDIERs?" I said, swiveling around to look at him as he stood in the doorway, "the word 'soldier' is capitalized. All of it."

Ronnie was silent for a moment, "Why?"

"Hell if I know," I replied turning back to face the TV.

Ronnie clomped his way back into the kitchen. The rest of the news broadcast was as equally dull as the previous part of it had been. More information on the war, which apparently Shin-Ra was winning, and the broadcast ended with the unveiling of a new car. I had to admit, it was one of the ugliest vehicles I had ever seen before in my life. Shin-Ra spared no expense when it came to design, now did they?

"Slums overt local defense-indurated enforcement recruits," Ronnie randomly blurted out.

My brow furrowed and I looked over the back of the couch. He was looking at me with an egg beater in his left hand and a bowl in the other. If only he had had an apron to make his appearance complete.

"Do what?" I asked in confusion.

"SOLDIER. It's in all caps for a reason. Like FBI. It probably stands for something," Ronnie replied.

I doubted that, and I highly doubted that even if it did, what Ronnie said was what it stood for; though, kudos for originality. Although, I had no freaking clue what 'indurated' meant. I doubted Ronnie did, either.

"Uh-huh," I mumbled, narrowing my eyes at him.

Ronnie turned back around and continued his egg-beating. He was either making omelets or scrambled eggs. I hoped it was the latter. I was not a big fan of omelets. Yes, both were egg cuisines, but they tasted different. It was all in the texture.

"You're going to get stuff all over your suit," I teased.

Ronnie stopped swirling the eggs around and placed them slowly on the counter. I sneered.

"I might want to go change then, hadn't I?" He asked before stepping away from the counter and heading upstairs.

"Yeah, that might be a good idea," I agreed.

I watched him go up the stairs. It didn't take him long to come back down. In fact, he had only gone about halfway before turning back around. He sat down at the bottom step.

"What?" I asked him.

He didn't respond. He just made that tongue noise he and I usually did when we're aggravated. I tried to think of what would be bothering him, and then it dawned on me. Dammit!

"We forgot our clothes," I groaned.

"We forgot our clothes," Ronnie repeated.

Great, we were doomed to walk around in Turk outfits until we could afford new clothes. Given our monetary status at the time—or lack there-of—that could take a while. Especially since we would probably buy food before clothes. Yay, more dull-blue suit for the Saan. It seemed the planet was always conspiring against me.

**-FFVII—**

The next day marked the first day of our jobs as Turks; or the Department of Administrative Research according to its 'true' name. I still did not believe that crap. No department of 'research' needed weapons like the ones Ronnie and I had been exposed to during the training course. But, I digress.

Around five that morning, Ronnie and I received a phone call. You can imagine our surprise as we fumbled around the house trying to find a phone we were unaware that we owned. After finally reaching it, answering it, and a few short 'Yeah, uh-huh, ok's we were told by Tseng to arrive at the Shin-Ra building bright and early at the beautiful hour of seven. Needless to say my only reaction had been to slam the phone back down on the receiver, stroll back up the stairs, and go back to sleep after muttering a nice 'fuck you.'

However, jobs are important things to have—especially if one wants money—and I wound up crawling out of bed at the slightly darker, even earlier hour of six. Yay me. Without the added incentive of coffee or oh-shit-we're-late mindset, it nearly took me thirty minutes to get ready. And by ready I mean wake up. Since Ronnie and I only had one set of clothes, we didn't have to worry about getting dressed. However, having only one pair of clothes seemed to really grate on Ronnie's nerves. It seemed that, even though I was the germaphobe, Ronnie was very self-conscious over hygiene. I feared for our water bill. If we had a water bill.

When we arrived at the Shin-Ra building, we had only taken a few steps before the secretary, the same one from before, stopped us and asked us for IDs.

"We don't have any…" Ronnie said slowly.

The secretary opened her mouth to say something, but when she finally raised her head up from her computer and actually _looked_ at us, she shut it.

"Oh," she said dismally, "It's you."

I frowned. What was up with that attitude? The secretary fumbled around her desk, grabbed something, and walked over to us. I didn't have time to react before she lifted the object to her face, pushed a button, and a familiar, blinding white light pierced my eyes. It was a camera.

Ronnie cried out and began to rub his eyes, while I attempted to bat away the black dot that was now placing itself on top of everybody's face. The secretary walked back around her desk and sat down.

"I'll have your IDs made in a little while. In the mean time, Tseng's waiting for you in his office," She said as she started typing away again.

"Hey," Ronnie said suddenly, "where do we get our paychecks?"

The secretary looked up from the computer and glared at him, "You don't get paychecks until you actually do something."

Ronnie pretended to be offended, "But, what am I all bandaged up for?"

The secretary—Ledi as her nametag said—went back to her work, "Shin-Ra is not responsible for any injuries or loss of life caused by its training simulators."

Wow, where had I heard _that_ before? Oh, yeah. It was that pain in the ass AI program from a day ago.

"Besides, due to your destructive actions, the damage you did to that facility is being deducted from your first two paychecks," Ledi continued.

Oh, wonderful. So, even if Ronnie and I started working, I was the only one getting paid. I could only hope that I would make enough money for the both of us.

"Buh," Ronnie stuttered.

He quickly regained his composure and glared angrily at the woman. Turning on his heels, he stormed off towards the elevators. I smiled and followed him. I knew what was coming next.

"If I _ever_ finally decide to slap a ho," Ronnie fumed, "it's going to be her."

"You keep saying that, but you have yet to do it," I mused.

"…Because I'll get in trouble," Ronnie replied, deflating a little.

It took a little while for us to get to Tseng's office. It seemed that, even though we were on the right floor, we had taken a left instead of a right and we wound up going in circles. Luckily we ran into one of the guard/SOLDIER people and he directed us towards the way were supposed to have gone in the first place. When we finally entered his office, Tseng was standing by the giant windows near his desk looking at the metropolis below.

Hearing us enter, he turned around and frowned.

"You're late," he said matter-of-factly.

"We got lost," I replied. Tseng's eyebrow rose.

"What?" I asked, "It's a big building…"

Ignoring my sad excuse, Tseng walked over to his desk, picked up two cell phones, and then walked over to us. He held them out for us to take.

"Ooo," Ronnie cooed as he took one.

"These are for you to use," Tseng explained. "I would prefer it if you used them only for things business related. Try not to give the number out to anybody who is not authorized."

I rolled the phone over in my hand as I inspected it. It wasn't that bad of a phone—better than most that were seen throughout the U.S. At least, for a flip phone. I doubted it could compare to a Blackberry or something similar.

"I don't think you have to worry about that," I replied. "We don't know anybody in Midgar."

Tseng looked at me questioningly, "Then why did you come here?"

I smiled as I pocketed the phone, "I pled the Fifth on that, remember?"

Tseng frowned again and walked back to his desk, "I still don't know what that stands for. Some Rocket Town idiom?"

"You could say that," Ronnie chimed in.

Tseng didn't sit down and instead remained standing, his hand lightly resting on top of a manila folder. I found it slightly amusing that, even on Gaia, manila folders were popular among businessmen. Our assignments, whatever they might be, were more than likely held within those two little folders. I had to admit, I was a little more than nervous.

"Verdot, the leader of the Turks, has reviewed the tapes pertaining to your training and has based your assignments on the areas where you showed exceptional performance," Tseng said as he pushed the files towards us. "I understand that both of you are friends, but I have to caution you. It would be best if you do not show each other the details of your missions as it could result in an information leak. In Shin-Ra that is unacceptable and punishment _will_ be severe. Now-"

"Wait," Ronnie interrupted. Tseng frowned but Ronnie gave him no time to continue, "You're not the boss?"

"No," Tseng replied blankly.

"If you'd been paying attention," I mumbled as I began to flip through my folder, "you woulda known that."

"Well, I know that he said he had a boss, but I figured he meant the president of Shin-Ra, or something."

"Anyways," Tseng interrupted sternly. Ronnie shut up.

"I don't think I have to tell you that it would be preferred if you finished your missions as soon as possible. Everything you need to know should be included within those folders, but if you need any further explaining, don't hesitate to call me. My number has already been entered into your phones, so don't worry about that. With that being said, you're free to go," Tseng finished, nodding towards the door.

"Question," I said as I shut my folder. Tseng turned his attention towards me.

"Where exactly is Verdot? Since you're running the show, I think it's safe to assume he's not here."

"That's classified," Tseng replied, "but you can say he's 'out of town'."

I shrugged. That was fair enough, I supposed. A lowly, newbie Turk like I was probably wasn't allowed to know that kind of stuff. I bowed my head slightly and went to leave. I only made it a few steps from the door before I heard Ronnie's hushed voice speaking behind me. I turned around and spotted him whispering something to Tseng.

"Ronnie!" I exclaimed.

Ronnie looked at me innocently. I jabbed my thumb over my shoulder and towards the door. Ronnie pouted, but obeyed, and followed me out. I had a strong urge to ask him what he had said as we walked away from Tseng's office, but decided I'd let it go. I'd probably find out eventually, anyway, if it was 'important'.

**A/N: This is, as of yet, the smallest chapter. I'm sorry, I just didn't know what to do with it. I developed writer's block about halfway through it, so it might seem a little bland compared to the others. My bad. Updating will seem a little slow for the next few weeks because college is really pounding it to me, but I will continue to write when I can.**

**On a side note: Ronnie and I had this lovely encounter with a ditch two days ago, and I'm pretty sure I have whiplash now. Fun, fun x.x.**

_**Edit: Took out some errors pertaining to storyline rape-age.**_


	7. ShinRa

**A/N: Yes, I have returned. I'm sorry I didn't do so earlier, but I had lotsa lovely tests back to back. I bombed my Art test. Damn fill-in-the-blank questions. However, I'm pretty sure I passed my music and math tests with flying colors. ^.^ Lashings of ginger beer for everyone! (10 points for anybody who recognizes where that's from.) Also, I abandoned you all for the Sims 2 for two days. I'm sorry, but the temptation was far too great.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, **_**Saw**_**, **_**Untraceable**_**, **_**Samurai Champloo**_**, Jay, nor Silent Bob. I do however own this plot, and way too many aspirations.**

_**Edited on 19 Sept 2010 for errors and goofs. God, this is taking forever.**_

I growled as I waited impatiently for my new 'partner' to arrive. After Ronnie and I had left Tseng's office, we didn't hesitate in opening those manila folders Tseng gave us. Ronnie's assignment was simple. He was on interrogation duty. To me, that was the equivalent of desk duty. It seemed Tseng's boss didn't to trust Ronnie with a gun, either.

I, on the other hand, had been given the wonderful assignment of 'going after' a man named Horak Ardovini. The only thing the file gave me was a photo, a brief description of why I was to chase the man down, and a little 'p.s.' that went something like, 'Yo, you have a partner'. Reno's face was the first one to pop into my head.

Horak Ardovini. His photo showed a man that was middle-aged, fat, and had dark hair with a hideous mustache to boot. If he dressed at all like the photo showed him—way too expensive and also hideous—then it wasn't going to be too hard to find the guy. As for what he had done, it was one of the biggest no-no's in all of business. He was accused to having given Shin-Ra's crap to Wutai.

As for my partner, I had no idea who she was going to be. Yes, I had been informed of her gender; but, her name and face had not been specified anywhere on that lovely sheet of paper. And that is why I stood, back against the wall, glaring at the door opposite me. The paper told me to meet her three minutes before at that exact location—a few floors up from the lobby—and yet, she wasn't here. I understood that my 'ways' could be a little demanding and anybody could be running a little late—after all, Ronnie and I had been late both times we were meant to meet Tseng—but for some odd reason, her tardiness was aggravating me.

For two more minutes, I spent my time banging the back of my head against the wall. Would that have helped my situation any? No. Did it help ease my frustration? Yes. Right before I started counting floor tiles, the door finally swung open—violently.

"Ugh!" The emerging Turk practically screamed, causing me to flinch, "Stupid, Verdot! He _knows_ I hate these kinds of missions!"

I stared curiously at the woman standing before me. The outfit was pretty self-explanatory—all the Turks wore the same damn thing after all. Her hair was long just like mine, if not longer, but was pulled back into a ponytail and was beige. Her eyes were light brown or olive, I couldn't really tell. They weren't looking at me. Instead, they seemed to be scowling at space itself as she slammed the door shut behind her. Finally noticing that someone was watching her, she snapped her attention to me.

"What?" She huffed.

I could merely shake my head in response. She was starting to scare me. I couldn't tell if it was because she was currently pissed off about _something_ or because she was being spastic and those kinds of people tended to rub me the wrong way. Either way, I somehow could not find my words. The girl stood up straight and gave me a look as she placed a hand on her hip.

"You don't talk much do you?" She snapped.

I resisted the urge to scowl right back. That person was to be my partner for the mission assigned to us, it would have been best to cooperate with her. No matter how much I wanted to strangle her…

"Not really," I replied calmly.

"Psh," the girl rolled her eyes and began to walk away. "Come on. The quicker we get this over with the quicker I can get assigned something else."

I pushed myself off the wall and followed obediently. I had no idea where we were supposed to find Ardovini, but apparently the woman did. That or she was simply walking somewhere to be walking somewhere. If that was her plan, we weren't going to get very far very fast. Midgar, as Ronnie and I had discovered, was a pretty big place. Cramped, mind you, but still pretty big. It could take a while to find the guy.

"You got a name?" The woman suddenly asked.

My gaze centered onto the back of her head, "Saan."

"That the name they give you, or your real name?"

I paused. The name they give you? What, did the Turks do such shady business that some of its members were required to have codenames or something? That was an interesting idea if it were true. That would have made me a spy, wouldn't it have? Spies had codenames.

"My real name," I replied.

"I won't give you my real name," the woman said as we entered the elevators, "but you can call me Shotgun."

My brow furrowed, "Shotgun?"

She frowned, as if I had just insulted her, "You got a problem with that?"

"Oh, no," I quickly replied, holding up my hands, "it just seems a little strange to me."

Shotgun pushed the button for the first floor. The elevator jerked a little bit and started to descend.

"Yeah, well, sometimes we Turks use the names of our weapons for our codenames. Helps prevent people from knowing too much about us," she explained.

I nodded. It made sense. Especially since they all used cell phones to communicate to one another. Most of Gaia seemed to have the same technology as Earth did, so I didn't doubt that they also had ways of listening in on telecommunications. If that were the case, it would be a little harder for the enemy to understand 'Shotgun' and 'Gun' than 'Gloria' and 'Betty'.

We reached the bottom floor and stepped out of the elevators. Shotgun lead me right through the lobby, past the secretary (who I refused to make eye contact with), and out of the Shin-Ra building. Ok, apparently she _did_ know where she was going. She could have clued me in, too.

"Um," I said hesitantly.

She stopped walking and turned to face me.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To find Ardovini. That should have been in your assignment folder," Shotgun replied, crossing her arms.

"It was. However, it didn't say _where_ he was…"

"We don't know that yet."

"Then where are _you_ going?"

"To find Ardovini…"

I stared at her. That conversation had been a lot like the ones Ronnie and I shared sometimes. The ones where we go around in circles for what feels like forever and never really get anywhere. Those are not good conversations to have. Shotgun must have interpreted my look because she sighed.

"We don't know where he is _exactly_, but we have a pretty good clue that he's within Sector 8. That's actually lucky for you. Most new Turks have to patrol Sector 8 as their first assignment."

"Really?" I asked, intrigued, "Then why wasn't I made to do that?"

Shotgun turned around and continued walking as she shrugged in response.

"Who knows?"

Everybody had to patrol Sector 8 upon joining the Turks, huh? Hm.

"So," I began conversationally. "How did _you_ do on your first mission?"

Again, Shotgun shrugged.

"Ah, I did ok. Someone 'accidently' let some monsters out and I had to take care of them. They were nothing but a bunch of little Kalm Fangs from a traveling circus, or whatever. Now if they had let loose a _Behemoth_…that would have been more my style."

I couldn't see her face, but I was pretty damn sure she had been smiling when she said that last bit. I was starting to think that my aforementioned fear was well-founded. I remembered what a Kalm Fang was. It was that thing Tseng said had attacked me when Ronnie and I first made it to Midgar. She considered those things mere child's play? I had no idea what a Behemoth was, but it sounded…well…behemoth-y; and if she thought that fighting something that was humongous was fun, then my obituary would most likely state, 'Death by insane partner's antics.'

I decided I was going to keep my mouth shut for the rest of our little outing.

**-FFVII—**

Sector 8 was huge. Or, maybe it was just spacious and that gave off the illusion that it was huge. Whatever the case, it seemed way too big for my liking. Big places meant more hiding spaces, and it didn't matter how wide the person was that one was looking for, the odds were still the same: against.

Shotgun remained silent for most of the time we spent looking for Ardovini, and only spoke up when I happened to ask what LOVELESS was. After seeing about three posters about it, and realizing the street was even named for it, I got a little curious. She told me it was a play that was about some old book. Apparently she didn't know much more than that about it. Shotgun didn't seem like the type of person to spend her days watching theatre. In fact, I suspected that she probably hunted animals instead. Shotguns…joy at the prospect of taking on big game…yeah, that pretty much sounded like 'Hunter' to me.

We wound up spending a few hours walking around LOVELESS Avenue and _still_ hadn't run into the fat man with crappy fashion sense. I was starting to lose hope of ever finding the guy. Honestly. Yes, Sector 8 was big, but it wasn't _that_ big. It couldn't be. I would know; I'd walked it nearly three times by that point. And I knew that was how many times I had traversed that little part of the city, not because of the scenery or even the giant fountain, but because of the three women standing in the corner gossiping about who was cuter and which fan club was better than the others. I had no idea who the hell they were talking about, but those three men had better been damn happy they were so well-loved.

Sighing, I went to make my fourth trip around the fountain. I didn't know why I was walking in circles around the fountain, but I was. Perhaps I thought that if I circled it enough, one Horak Ardovini would magically drop from the sky and my problems would be solved. If Shotgun had seen me she probably would have commented on my lack of intelligence—which she had already done before—but, she had gone to use the restroom in a nearby building.

"Hey, you there!"

I stopped in mid-step and looked up from the ground. The three women in the corner were all looking at me. Oh, crap. Dumbly, I pointed to myself as I silently prayed that they _weren't_ talking to me.

"Yeah, you," the tall one nodded.

Damn.

"Come here," she said as she motioned me over with her hand.

Hesitantly, I looked around. There was no Shotgun to bail me out and no Ardovini to chase down. I was going to have to humor those women. I had a funny suspicion that I knew what they wanted to ask me. I wished that I didn't.

Ignoring my mind's protests to run screaming the other way, I walked over to the three women and waited for the worst.

"You're a Turk, right?"

No, I was just wearing the outfit for the hell of it.

"Yes," I replied slowly.

"So, you know the General?" The lady in the middle asked.

My brow furrowed as I stared at her. The who? I barely even knew my general from the Air Force; I sure as hell didn't know any generals on Gaia. I didn't get to respond right away, for the lady on the left started arguing with the lady in the middle over why '_he_' always had to hog the spotlight… For a moment I was lost in their rambling. Finally realizing that I was, I shook my head.

"Whoa, wait a minute," I said holding up a hand.

The women stopped and looked at me.

"I'm a newbie. I have no idea who you're talking about," I replied.

The look of shock they all gave me was frightening.

"You don't know Sephiroth/Angeal/Genesis?" They all asked, each one saying a different name.

"No," I replied lamely.

"Where are you from?" The one on the left asked, giving me a look that made me suspect that she thought I had crawled out from under a rock.

"Rocket Town?" I half-asked.

"Oh."

The way they said it in unison and in the same disappointed tone was frighteningly creepy.

"But surely," The middle one whispered, "you've heard of _Sephiroth_."

I took a breath to answer in the negative but the other two beat me to the punch once again. The lady on the right was saying how Genesis was way better looking than Sephiroth could ever hope to be, and the lady on the left was saying that Angeal was _way _more of a nice guy. I heard my name called out and turned to see Shotgun waving at me from the other side of the fountain. She did not look happy.

Without bothering to excuse myself, I quickly jogged away from the crazy fan girls and towards Shotgun. When I got to her, she was once again scowling at me. She folded her arms.

"What did they want?" She asked.

"I think they were eventually going to ask me if I liked Sephiroth, Genesis, or Angeal more. They seemed to be in a tied vote for all three," I replied, still not sure what the hell was going on.

Shotgun blinked and visibly relaxed, "Oh. For a second there I thought you had asked them Ardovini's whereabouts."

"I might be ignorant when it comes to all things Midgar," I replied grumpily, "but I am not an idiot."

Shotgun frowned but decided to ignore my comment. Her eyes darted around the street before they landed back on me. She leaned forward, causing me to lean forward, too.

"I think I know where Ardovini's at," she whispered, sneering slightly.

I blinked, "How did you find out?"

"Oh," she shrugged as she leaned back, "I just asked a guy inside the bar."

"…"

I liked that, she yelled at me for possibly asking random strangers to find a traitor, and darn it if she hadn't already done the same. Hypocrite, much? Then again, it was possible that she had asked an informant that was paid by Shin-Ra for Ardovini's whereabouts. I was going back off on the spy tangent, but with a company like Shin-Ra, it wasn't an unfounded theory.

"Well, where is he?" I asked motioning to the city square with my hand.

"Ok, let me rephrase that. I know where he's _going_ to be," Shotgun replied.

I was pretty sure I had visibly twitched just then.

"Okay. Where is he _going_ to be and _when_?"

Shotgun looked over at the three women. I followed her gaze and noticed that they were all staring at us. That explained why they had grown quiet all of a sudden. Nosy little critters, weren't they? Both Shotgun and I narrowed our eyes at them and they quickly returned to their gossiping. That took care of that problem.

"His daughter's going to be in that LOVELESS play you asked about earlier, so I'm pretty sure he'll be attending. He'd be a sorry old man if he didn't."

I nodded in agreement. I'd be pretty pissed if my dad missed my big performance, too.

"I was thinking we could jump him when the play let out," Shotgun finished.

Ignore the terminology of 'jumping' somebody—that sounded like we were going to rob the man—I had to ask the obvious question.

"When is the play?"

"Tomorrow evening at six."

'I'mma gonna kill you' was the first thought that popped into my head. I had spent all day with the woman, tracking that guy down, and it was all for nothing. Okaymaybe not '_nothing'_ since we did find out where he was going to be _eventually_, but still. My day had been completely wasted. I wondered how Ronnie's assignment was fairing. Hopefully, it was going a lot better than mine.

I opened my mouth to say something, shut it, opened it again, and then shook my head. No words could express my feelings. I settled with simply walking away instead. That problem was neither worth my effort nor worry. I didn't make it a few steps before Shotgun stopped me.

"Where are you going?" She asked hastily.

I looked back over my shoulder, "Back to the Shin-Ra building. We can't really do anything else tonight, can we? I'm going to check and see how Ronnie's doing and then, most likely, I'm going to go home."

Shotgun frowned and remained silent for a while.

"Fine," she eventually snapped, "but be sure to meet me at the theatre fifteen minutes before the show starts. We have to be ready beforehand."

I nodded once and started to walk away, "I'll be ready. As long as you're than one figuring out how we're going to 'capture' him."

Shotgun scoffed, "Lazy ass!"

That caused me to smirk. Oh, yes, indeed I was.

**-FFVII-**

When I walked into the lobby of the Shin-Ra building, I was surprised to see Ronnie sitting down in front of the glowing Shin-Ra sign.

"Uh-ahah!"

I rolled my eyes, reached into my pants' pocket, and flashed my I.D. at the secretary. She nodded and sat back in her chair. I had a funny suspicion the woman liked doing that just to get on my nerves. It was like she had some unfounded vendetta against Ronnie and me or something. Wasting our time like that. Not that we had anything to do with our time…

Ronnie sensed somebody walking towards him and lifted his head from the floor. He gave me a confused look as I stopped before him.

"Done already?" He asked.

"Nope. Gotta wait until tomorrow," I replied. "What about you?"

Ronnie sighed. Uh-oh. That wasn't good. It seemed that his assignment wasn't going as well as I thought it was. Other than noncooperation, I couldn't figure out what could go wrong with a simple interrogation.

"The guy we're talking to won't talk, and now they want me to torture the guy. How the hell do you torture somebody?" Ronnie asked the floor.

I frowned. I found it interesting that Ronnie was more worried that he couldn't find ways to torture somebody, rather than he couldn't torture somebody in general. Where had his morals gone? Then again, he did watch a lot of horror movies. Maybe television really did have a negative influence on the population after all.

"I have no idea what to tell ya," I replied. "I usually don't cause people pain."

Ronnie gave me a skeptical look.

"Ok, _physical_ pain. I'm all for the mental."

Ronnie merely snorted and went back to looking at the shiny floors. The janitors must have come through again. I sighed. Ronnie seemed really bugged out about his problem. What were some ways to torture people? Unfortunately, I hadn't seen _Saw_, so I couldn't come up with extremely brutal things for him to use. I had, however, seen _Untraceable_. Heat lamps, and blood loss, and acid, oh my! I shuddered at the thought. Yeah, okay, maybe not any of those.

I snickered as a thought came to me, "What floor's he on?"

"Forty-three," Ronnie groaned.

I grinned evilly at him. He continued to stare at the floor. It took him a few seconds, but he finally caught on that I wanted him to ask what I was up to.

"Why?"

"Ok, here's what you do," I began, bouncing on my feet before plopping down on the floor in front of him. "You go back in there and pretend you have sympathy for his plight, and then you say all conspirator-like that you're going to let him go. _But_, he's gotta be sneaky about it, and to use the _stairs_ to get away."

Ronnie blinked.

I sighed, "You're giving him false hope _and_ you're making him go down fifty-nine flights of stairs. That's torture in-and-of itself."

Ronnie nodded, "True. But I can't let him go."

"You don't let him go," I whispered harshly, "I'll be waiting at the bottom of the stairs with a gun pointed at him. It'll be just like when we got into the Shin-Ra building the first time."

". . .Oh, that's _cold_."

I sneered, "Exactly."

Ronnie stomped his feet on the floor, and nearly bounced into me as he stood up.

"Let's do this!" He said before running off towards the elevator.

I watched him until he disappeared, then turned around and spotted the clock on the wall. It was 4:25 in the afternoon. I figured I could wait at least forty minutes before I would be needed at the staircase. What to do until then? God, I didn't know. There wasn't anything _to_ _do_ in the Shin-Ra building.

A few people threw me odd looks as I continued to sit on the floor, thinking. My eyes wandered to the second floor. I could look at the cars if I was really bored. I wasn't really bored. Plus, those cars were hideous, just like all the rest that I had seen in the streets of Midgar. Oh! I could go exploring! Brilliant idea. It was about time I figured out the building I worked in. Well…was _stationed_ in. So far I hadn't really worked _in_ it.

With a newfound sense of purpose, I picked myself up off the floor and headed for the elevators as well. I would take the floors one by one. That should waste away enough time before I would be forced to ruin some man's life. I entered the elevator and pressed '4'. I already knew what was on floors one through three, so it was pretty pointless to check those out.

At floor four, I went to step out; and was pushed back in as a herd of Shin-Ra employees swarmed the tiny elevator. One of them pressed '46' and off we went. I glowered at the back of the man's head. Of course, smashed up against the back wall didn't leave me any room—no pun intended—to seem threatening, but it never hurt to try. A few moments later, the employees reached their floor and filed out.

I grunted grumpily as I pushed the next floor up. I wanted to start my little expedition on the fourth floor, but it seemed I'd be starting on the forty-seventh, instead. Oh, well, I could go back later. Might as well just have had kept going up.

The door opened with a ding and swish, and then I stepped out onto the next floor. It wasn't that impressive: white-gray walls; dull grey floor; various Shin-Ra employees staring at me wondering what the hell I was doing on their floor. I had a funny feeling I wasn't welcomed and quickly backed into the elevator and pressed the next button. Ok, nothing on forty-seven worth mentioning.

Forty-eight had been pretty much like forty-seven, except most of the employees were wearing white coats instead of boring-ass suits. Not that the white coats weren't extremely bland either, but most people didn't call doctors boring. Nor scientists, whichever ones they were.

So far I had had two boring floors, and having just started out, that was not a good thing. Surely the Turks weren't the only interesting people the company had to offer. The elevator door swished open on floor forty-nine and I took a tentative step out. There was nobody around. Well, the good news was: I didn't get strange looks. The bad news was: I had no idea where I was, and I was actually going to have to walk forward and explore to determine whether the floor was 'interesting' or not.

Looking around the lobby-like place I had walked into, I eventually chose a direction and started walking. I didn't make it far down one of the corridors before people's voices could be heard. They were men's voices. Instinctively, I went into stealth mode and snuck my way to the corner of the nearby wall. Granted, it didn't take much for me to sneak because I was light-weight and my footsteps rarely made a sound as-was, but once one gets into that mindset of 'oh-crap-must-not-get-caught' he/she tends to do unnecessary things.

Slowly, I peeked around the corner and spotted two SOLDIERs. One was in a blue suit with a three-lighted helmet—like the guard that had greeted Ronnie and I when we first arrived at Midgar, and the other was wearing purple with a plain, kinda outdated helmet. I didn't quite understand if the coloring meant something, but decided that I didn't care. Knowing that no one scary, like Tseng, was around the corner, I walked out from behind the wall to greet the aforementioned SOLDIERs. I didn't see anything wrong with it. After all, we worked for the same company. I might have been wrong.

The SOLDIER in blue immediately froze. That was never a good sign. I halted in mid-step. Was I not supposed to be here? The purple SOLDIER just kept talking, but when he realized that his friend wasn't paying him a bit of attention, he finally turned around. He made a little sound of surprise before quickly regaining his composure.

"What are you doing here?" He nearly shouted.

Oops. I wanted to turn and run, but that would not have been professional; and, since I was wearing a suit, I figured I ought to be professional.

"Exploring?" I asked.

The purple SOLDIER frowned, "Why are you 'exploring' this floor?"

"I-" I began.

I stopped, however, when my eyes flicked over to the blue SOLDIER. He had started backing away—from me. My brow furrowed. Why would he be doing something like that? I didn't know any SOLDIERs…Wait.

"_You!_" I exclaimed, pointing at the man.

He gave a startled cry and made a break down an adjacent corridor. I contemplated chasing after him, but I figured that would only get me further in trouble. He was running deeper into the floor's interior…where I definitely did not belong. I growled at his retreating figure.

"Yeah, run away, you coward!" I called after him, "Definitely not from Wutai _now_ am I?"

The purple SOLDIER spent his time looking between me and his friend and back as I shouted my words of love. After his friend disappeared around the corner, he focused all of his attention back on me. I looked at him.

"You're on the SOLDIER floor," The boy said, folding his arms. "The Turks' floor is a few floors down. Don't you know that?"

"I'm new…" I grumbled.

"Oh…"

The SOLDIER didn't say anything after that. In fact, he dropped his arms and stood a little more rigid than he had before. Was it something I said?

"In that case."

_Dah!_ I spun around so fast I almost lost my balance. So _that's_ why that purple guy did what he did. He was standing at attention for the man who had mysteriously appeared behind me. Damn dude needed to wear a bell.

I guessed that the man that stood before me was a superior compared to the other SOLDIERs I had seen so far. His outfit was slightly different. The two main differences were the belt that he wore—that had some weird symbol on it—and the suspenders and shoulder pads had a different design. He also had a giant ass sword that was somehow hanging on his back. Despite that fact, his friendly face seemed to indicate that he rarely used the weapon on innocent little Turk members.

"There's a lobby for Shin-Ra employees on the sixty-first floor. I'm sure you can find somebody to help show you around there."

"Really?" I asked in a tone that came off slightly sarcastic, "I did not know that. Obviously, or I wouldn't have ended up here."

I grinned stupidly as the man's eyebrow went up in amusement.

"I'll get right on that," I finished quickly, pointing at the elevator with a series of odd hand movements.

I hurried my way around him and power-walked towards the elevator. Note to self: Do not go on floor 49 unless under strict orders by Tseng to do so. A Turk on the SOLDIER floor… No wonder I stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Oh, by the way," the man suddenly called out as the elevator doors opened, "tell Tseng I need to speak with him."

"Tseng, speak, SOLDIER floor, got it," I replied as I repeatedly pressed '61'.

The doors started to close before I realized I had no idea what the man's name was.

"Wait!" I shouted, forcing the top half of my body out of the elevator—the doors closing on my ribs before re-opening. I cringed, "I don't know your name."

The man was trying to hide it, but I could tell he was smiling. Had I been the one to observe someone getting shut in an elevator door, I would have, too.

"Angeal," he replied before walking away.

I pulled myself back into the elevator and this time the doors shut without my person being in the way. Frowning, I rubbed my bruised sides. Damn doors. Sometimes I wondered why they didn't put motion censors in the center of elevator doors instead of just the bottom. A lot more accidents could have been diverted if they had.

I gasped as the man's name finally registered in my mind. Angeal! That was one of the guys those fan girls were talking about in Sector 8!

"Oh, har har," I muttered at the irony.

Events like those were what made me speculate that life was one giant, horribly-written story—also known as a soap opera. My mind wasn't allowed to travel down that train of thought, however, as I reached floor sixty-one. The doors parted and I stepped out onto the floor.

The first thing to catch my attention was how spacious it was compared to most other floors of the Shin-Ra building. All the floors I had decent knowledge of were so jammed pack it was as if the architect was ordered to put so many rooms on one floor and so little space to do it in. This one however had no rooms what-so-ever. It was just like a lobby was meant to be.

What it did have, though, was a giant tree in the center of it. I spent a good deal of time standing in front of the elevator staring at the thing. Useless thoughts ran through my head: How long did it take for that to grow? How were they watering it? Why was that tree the only vegetation I had seen in Midgar? Why was it even in there?

"Are you alright?"

I turned to my right to see a women—classic Shin-Ra employee—staring at me with a worried look on her face. Oops. Perhaps I should not have stared at the tree, unblinking, as if I was having a mild seizure.

"It's really big," I replied, not knowing what else to say.

The woman blinked but eventually smiled, "Oh, yes. I'm glad they planted it in the lobby. It's so refreshing to see something alive and green as opposed to the grey walls we work in, don't you think?"

I nodded and looked back at the tree. The woman sighed beside me, causing me to turn my attention back to her.

"I wish plants would grow in Midgar. I tried starting my own little garden a few years ago, but nothing ever grew," she said before disappearing into the elevator.

Stuff didn't grow in Midgar? That would explain why I hadn't seen any plants before. I thought it was because Shin-Ra had simply 'paved paradise and put up a parking lot'. Maybe that wasn't the case. What was wrong with the soil of Midgar to make it infertile? I snorted as I thought, 'What soil?'

Seeing as how the tree was probably the only one in all of Midgar, I decided I would take a picture of it with my phone and send it to Ronnie. A long time ago, he and I would always send one another random picture messages of what we were doing with some snappy comment added to it. Since we were together again, I found myself falling back into our old habits.

I reached into my pocket, pulled out my phone, and flipped it open. Frowning, I noticed I had missed a message. Again, oops. Hopefully it wasn't anything important. Maybe I should have tried 'exploring' my cell phone instead of the Shin-Ra building. The message was from Reno.

'_You act as though you've never seen a tree before.'_

I narrowed my eyes at the screen. A) How the hell did he get my number? B) Where the hell was he? Looking up from the phone, I scouted the lobby trying to spot a mane of flaming red hair. It didn't take me long to see him sitting at one of the tables in the back; a bald man sitting beside him. I shut my phone, pocketed it, and went to join them.

He was smirking when I sat down in front of him.

"Ha-ha, very funny," I mumbled.

"What?" He asked, leaning his head back lazily, "You were."

"How did you get my number?"

"Every Turk's supposed to know every other Turk's number. Don't you know that?" He asked innocently.

I pulled my phone out once again and slammed it—gently—on the table in front of me. I pushed it towards Reno.

"I must have missed that memo. Perhaps you should help me out by putting all their numbers into my phone," I said sourly.

Reno gave me a look that gave me the impression that there was no way in hell he was going to waste his time on little ole me, but after a good stare-down, he finally conceded and took my phone.

"You owe me," he grumbled as he began typing in the numbers.

My eyes drifted over to the man sitting beside him. He looked like he had African-American blood in him…or whatever black people were supposed to be called on Gaia. Aside from that and his baldness, I assumed he had a love of all things sunglasses. We were indoors and he was wearing them. Only people who love 'looking cool' ever did that. Because of the sunglasses, I couldn't make out his eye color, but they were most likely brown. Dark-skinned humans tended to have dark eyes.

"That's Rude," Reno said as he continued to enter numbers.

My brow furrowed in confusion as I slowly looked back at Reno. Reno finished, closed my phone, and slid it back across the table to me.

"His name is Rude," Reno cleared up.

"Oh."

"Though it is rude to stare, too," Reno added, grinning.

"I'm pretty sure the man can speak for himself," I said as I leaned back in the chair.

Reno laughed and patted his friend on the back, "Only to people he knows well enough."

Oh, well, in that case, "Name's Saan."

"Pleasure," Rude finally spoke as he leaned across the table with is arm outstretched.

I shook it then leaned back.

"So, done with your assignment already?" Reno asked lazily.

"Nope," I replied. "Have to wait until tomorrow before Shotgun and I can do anything."

Reno frowned a little, "She didn't give you her name, did she?"

"Nope."

Reno merely shrugged, "If you can't do anything until tomorrow, why are you hanging out here? This place isn't all it's cracked up to be. I know a few places I'd rather spend my time at."

I resisted the urge to say, 'Like a bar?'

"I'm waiting for a man to walk down some stairs," I replied before glancing at a clock on the far wall. I had about twenty more minutes to spare.

Reno looked at me in confusion, "Why the hell would anyone walk down that flight of stairs? There's too many of them."

"Oh, trust me," I replied as I let my eyes wander around the lobby, "people will climb them if they're desperate enough."

Reno snickered, "Speaking from experience, are we?"

I cast him a sideways glance, "Tseng didn't tell you?"

"He said you snuck in. He didn't mention you took the stairs. I would have _loved_ to see that."

"They have a video of us stepping out into the hallway. I'm sure they'll let you see it."

A loud beeping noise interrupted us. At first I thought it had been my phone, but since mine was still lying on the table, I quickly dismissed the idea. Both Reno and Rude took out their phones and read what it said. Rude silently pocketed his and stood up, pushing the chair under the table as he did so.

"Well, we'd love to stay and chat, but the boss man needs us for something," Reno said as he and Rude started walking back towards the elevators. "See ya later, _Stairmaster_."

Reno laughed as I threw a death glare at his retreating form. Oh, I'll get you back for that carrot-top. I'll get you back for that. I sighed, placed my arms on the table, and slowly slid down so that I was lying on it. Great, my only form of entertainment had left me to fend for myself.

Feeling my phone pressing against my neck, I grabbed it out from underneath me and flipped it open. The generic Shin-Ra diamond was set as the background. I frowned. How boring. I pressed the camera button, turned around, and took a snapshot of the giant tree. A few button presses later and the red diamond had been replaced. I smiled. Green looked so much better than red.

**-FFVII-**

I ran to the elevator as fast as I could. Time had flown by me without so much as a heads-up while I was diddling around on my phone, and now I was late once again. I nearly crashed into some poor bystander as I dived into the elevator and jabbed the '2'.

"Hey!" The man called out as the doors shut in front of him.

"Sorry, dude," I said to myself, "I ain't got time to wait."

As the elevator was descending, I took the time to check my gun. The clip wasn't in it, which was the way I liked to carry my firearms, and no bullet was in the chamber. Good. That meant the gun wouldn't be in danger of 'accidently' going off. However, I left the Thunder Materia still equipped. If the man tried to make a break for it, he wouldn't be shot…but he sure as hell would feel _some_ kind of pain.

When the elevator finally dinged and slid open, I rushed down the flight of stairs and out the glass doors. I was pretty sure the secretary had yelled at me, but I was too busy running to care. A quick right, and I was standing in front of the 'fire escape' Ronnie and I had encountered earlier in our adventures. Or should I say _mis_adventures?

I spent a few seconds trying to catch my breath and pleading that the man wouldn't appear anytime soon. It might have been a little embarrassing to try and intimidate a physically exhausted prisoner while being physically exhausted as well. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. In fact, I had a good ten minutes all to myself before the man emerged from the staircase.

Upon seeing me, he froze. I grinned and wiggled my gun at him.

"Oh, no," he gasped as he tried to catch his breath, "I should have known that was a trap. You're not going to kill me now, are you?"

I laughed. Yes, we're going to have you run down all those flights of stairs just to kill you when we could have blown you away at the top.

"No," I replied grinning, "I'm not going to kill you. _But_, I'm not going to let you go either."

The man's face fell in what I could only guess was complete and utter anguish.

"You're going to make me run up the stairs again, aren't you?" He asked hysterically.

I had to bite my lip to keep from snorting, "No…on one condition."

The man stared at me hopefully.

"You tell my nice young friend up there," I motioned towards the top of the Shin-Ra building with my gun, "everything he wants to know. Otherwise, I'll make sure you do _run_ up those stairs, and there will be no breaks in-between. Got it?"

My smile became slightly sadistic as the man nodded vigorously. I gently yet firmly grabbed a hold of his arm and drug him back into the Shin-Ra building. That time Ledi made no attempt to stop me; a smart move on her part. I _did_ have a criminal with me after all, and if she had tried anything, she would have been 'impeding an investigation.' I'm sure Tseng would have been pretty pissed with her had she done that.

The elevator ride seemed longer going up than it had going down, but that could have been because the man—Roan was his name—wouldn't shut up. Even though I told him twice that he didn't have to plead for his life, and that I wasn't going to kill him, he just kept on and on that by the time we reached the forty-third floor I _did_ have half a mind to shoot him. Granted, I'd only be shooting him with the Thunder Materia because the bullets were in my pocket; I still would have shot him.

Ronnie and another Turk—this one was tall and well-built with short brown hair—was waiting for me at the elevators. I gave the stranger a curious look and then thrust Roan at him.

"Thank you," the man said before escorting Roan away.

Ronnie watched them before they disappeared around the corner, then turned and faced me.

"So, what do you think?" He asked me, grinning widely.

"I seriously don't know why you had a problem with that guy talking, he wouldn't shut up in the elevator," I replied as I placed my gun back in its holster.

"No, not that!" Ronnie said as he shook his head.

"Wha-?"

I paused as I realized he wasn't asking about Roan, but the other Turk instead. Oh. I shook my head.

"No," I replied.

Ronnie scoffed, "Why not?"

"Ew."

"You need a new taste in men."

"_You_ need a new taste in men."

"Mugen is so totally huggable, and you know it," Ronnie said, pointing at me.

I frowned, "No, he isn't, and you just now gave him that name, didn't you?"

Shotgun wouldn't give me her name, I doubted the man I had seen earlier would give Ronnie his. Especially if said guy knew Ronnie found him attractive and knew what was good for him. Ronnie had a habit of 'stalking' people. When I thought about it, the only Turks whose names I knew were Reno, Rude, Tseng, and Verdot's.

"No!" Ronnie shouted in his defense, ". . . I started calling him that this morning."

I gave him a look.

"It was better than calling him _Detective_ or something like that. Though, he used to be one…"

Oh lord, Ronnie had been conversing with this man. Most likely trying to find out about his entire childhood. There was no saving him now. I would never hear the end of 'Mugen'.

"Why did you even name him Mugen?" I asked as I started to rub my eyebrows.

"Because he reminds me of that _Samurai Champloo_ guy," Ronnie replied matter-of-factly.

I gave him a doubtful look. I wasn't sure how in the world Ronnie had combined that man with a samurai from an anime, but he had. 'Mugen' didn't even _look_ like Mugen for crying out loud! I decided to let Ronnie's fuzzy logic go and think about more-immediate, less-confusing things. Like:

"Are you done yet? I'd like to go home."

Ronnie frowned, "You can go home without me. We live at the same place…I'll meet up with you eventually."

I stared at him blankly, "You can't find your way out of a paper bag; how do you expect to find the house?"

"Oh, come on! My direction's not that bad."

"Yes, yes it is."

"Fine," Ronnie groaned. "I don't know how long it's going to be. Whenever this guy gets finished spilling his guts, I guess. You're so impatient… What did you do while waiting for him to get down the stairs?"

"I talked to Jay and Silent Bob."

"Huh?"

"I'll tell you later. Oh, and don't go on the forty-ninth floor," I cautioned as I pointed at him, "that's off-limits to Turks. Ah, shit, I forgot to tell Tseng that Angeal is looking for him."

Ronnie gave me his signature, 'Okay then, you've lost your mind,' look before dismissing himself and walking the same way Mugen and Roan had done earlier. I turned and re-entered the elevator. I had to stop myself from pressing the floor for Tseng's office.

"What am I doing? I have a cell phone with his number in it, I can just text him."

Mentally beating myself up over my blonde moment, I sent a message that read:

'_Angeal wants to see you about something. Oh, and pairing Ronnie with whomever you did might have been a bad idea. Just trust me on that one.'_

I chuckled amusedly to myself. My daily dose of mischief having been fulfilled, I turned my attention to the numbers that were counting down at the top of the elevator. Now all I had to do was wait until tomorrow evening. The sooner Shotgun and I caught Ardovini, the better. At least, as far as my paycheck was concerned.

**-FFVII-**

It was 5:45 in the evening, and I was at the designated spot. And, once again, I was waiting on Shotgun. Earlier in the morning, I had received a phone call from Shotgun. She told me our plan would be simple, and that even a newbie like me could take care of the task she had given me. Ignoring yet another stab at my intelligence level, I had listened to what she had to say.

She was to see the play as well as Ardovini. She had even fooled with the system so that she got a seat close to the man. After the play let out, she would confront Ardovini about some 'rumors' about him giving Shin-Ra weapons to Wutai. If things got nasty, that's when I would come in.

I was to be stationed on the roof of a nearby building in control of a sniper rifle. When she gave the distress signal, that's when I was to 'take out' the target. At first I was hesitant to agree to that plan, but figured that someone like Ardovini held no threat to a trained Turk. He wasn't even half of what the robots in the training session had been; not difficulty-wise, anyway.

However, she didn't mention what she was going to be _before_ this plan was set into motion. If she was going to leave after setting up the rifle, the least she could have done was told me so. The number of curious glances I received as some of the players and early spectators arrived was too innumerable to count. That and I was feeling too darn lazy to give a hoot.

When she did finally arrive, my eyes widened upon settling on her. Dress. She was wearing a very expensive looking, dark blue dress. Well, she definitely was going to be incognito for that part of the assignment. The only thing that remained the same was her hair, which was still tied up in a ponytail, though it was curled a little.

She snickered when she saw the look I was giving her, "Speechless?"

"Ya," I replied as I notice her fancy footwear. How did she not fall in those?

"Good. If you couldn't tell I was a Turk, then Ardovini definitely won't," she said as she started to fool around in her tiny handbag. She pulled out a key.

"This goes to the building where the rifle is located," she pointed at said building. "Lock the door behind you and you won't have to worry about anyone walking in on you."

I could have figured as much, thank you Captain Obvious. I put the key in my own pocket and turned to leave.

"Make sure you take him out in one shot," Shotgun called after me.

I paused and looked over my shoulder, "I thought you said I was to only shoot if something went wrong."

"Right, right. Of course. Just make sure you hit him," she replied before walking towards the growing line of people.

I frowned at her. There was definitely something wrong with that reply, but I decided to ignore it. If she pulled something, it wouldn't matter. I was the one with the gun and not her. So, in that sense, I was the one controlling things.

When I reached the building Shotgun had pointed out, I unlocked it, stepped in, and made sure to lock it after me. After all, I didn't want anybody 'walking in on me', now did I? I scoffed at Shotgun's previous words. Seriously, what did she take me for? I took the stairs up to the roof—there hadn't been many—and found the rifle waiting for me. It was the same model as the one I had used in the training session. That was good. At least I was familiar with that particular gun.

I walked over to the rifle and lay down behind it. Testing the rifle's scope, I looked through it at the town below. It was strange watching all the people suddenly have their heads blown up in size. Though, it was also quite amusing. With the magnification and my viewpoint, I could easily tell, 'Hey, her hair's being held up with bobby-pins' or 'That is so not his real hair' and even 'Ew, dandruff. Don't wear dark clothes with dandruff.'

I stopped pointing the rifle at the unsuspecting citizens below. I'd be a little upset if I found out somebody had been aiming at me for no reason at all. I made sure that the rifle was loaded, which it was, and settled in for a long night. Shotgun had failed to mention when the play would end…

My phone going off alerted me to the fact that I had been zoning out. Looking down, I noticed that the play _still_ hadn't let out. I sighed, reached into my pocket, and pulled out my phone. It was Ronnie. I flipped it open and put it to my ear.

"Yo."

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Work, why?"

"Oh…"

"_Why?_" I reiterated, trying my darnedest to glare at the phone.

"Um…" he hesitated. "I think I broke the TV."

I rolled my eyes as the sound of voices caught my attention. I looked down and noticed that the first few groups of people were filing out of the theatre.

"Well, unless the TV sprouts legs and runs its way over to where I am," I replied, "it's going to have to wait."

"But," Ronnie pleaded, "black and white fuzzies are only so entertaining."

I grunted once and slammed the phone shut. After placing it in my pocket, I grabbed a hold of the rifle and waited for a gaudily-dressed, overweight man to appear. The person to appear, however, was Shotgun and not Ardovini. She looked up to where I was and nodded once. I looked back at the door and a few moments later, Ardovini emerged.

Finally! I thought to myself. We could get on with it. I placed the scope up to my eye to get a better look. From where I was, the best I could hear was loud voices; and even so, that sounded like murmurs. I watched as Shotgun walked up behind Ardovini. He turned around, and I guessed that she had addressed him. She and Ardovini talked for a few minutes, and as they did, I could tell Shotgun was hitting a nerve. Ardovini seemed to be getting angrier and angrier the more she dug for information.

I twitched a little as a young woman walked briskly to Ardovini's side. Frowning, I realized that she was probably Ardovini's daughter. She seemed a little flustered about her father arguing with Shotgun, and he tried to calm her down by saying something to her. As his daughter and he quarreled, I noticed a slight movement on Shotgun's behalf.

My eyes flickered to her hands. Surely she hadn't just done what I thought she had. However, when I saw it the second time, I was sure. She had given the distress signal. Trick was she wasn't in distress. I glared at Shotgun through the scope. No, silly woman, I would _not_ shoot the man for no reason; _especially_ when his daughter was standing right there beside him.

Shotgun's expression quickly became sour when I ignored the third distress signal. She glared in my direction out of the corner of her eye. Tough luck, I thought, you don't have any say. I have the—.

I gasped as I remembered her handbag. She _did_ have some say in the matter if she had a gun hidden in that bag. If that was the case, I had no doubt in my mind that she could shoot Ardovini right then and there and any 'police' would never find out that the woman who had done it was a Turk. When Shotgun started fooling with her purse, I decided to take action.

I quickly lowered the sight of my gun to a potted plant a few feet away from Ardovini and squeezed the trigger. The crackle of gunfire and sound of the shattering pot vibrated off the buildings around us, and immediately everybody in the vicinity took off running and screaming. Everybody but Ardovini, his daughter, and Shotgun. Seriously, some people just had no brain, did they?

Once again, I let out another warning shot, this one aimed at the ground near Ardovini's feet. The fat man and his daughter cried out, while Shotgun drew the gun out of her purse. Instead of aiming it at Ardovini, however, she pointed it in my direction. Ho shi—.

I scuttled backwards, away from the rifle, as concrete was smashed away by bullets crashing into it. Though at first glance it seemed that Shotgun was aiming at me, her aim was in reality _way_ off. Someone who wielded a shotgun for a living would not have that kind of terrible aim. Somehow, she had found a way to make my warning shots come off as lethal intent. Without waiting to see how Shotgun would handle her new golden opportunity with Ardovini, I quickly bolted for the stairs.

If she was doing what I think she was doing—trying to act as if the Turks were there to protect Ardovini instead of off him—then she'd send someone up to check the roof for whoever fired the shots. That would be me. I could not allow myself to be caught because I was pretty sure that Shin-Ra would go along with it, and I'd end up back in jail, or worse, dead. Not on my watch, she wouldn't.

The front door was a 'no-option' way out, and instead I found a window in the back of the building. I un-holstered my handgun and fired a Materia shot at it. The lightning bolt that shot out of the gun barrel bounced into the glass panes, causing them to shatter loudly—pieces of glass flying outwards like little missiles into the alleyway on the other side.

I carefully jumped out of the window, so as not to cut myself, and took off down the street. I was thankful for having wasted my time the day before searching for Ardovini, because without having done so I would have had no clue where the hell I was going. The sound of screaming and panic died down as I ran away from the scene and I only slowed down when I knew I was nearing the water fountain.

My boots clomped loudly as I slowed to a stop. Breathing heavily, I sat down on the stones surrounding the fountain and tried to catch my breath. I looked over and spotted three familiar looking ladies. The urge to groan had never hit me so strongly before then.

"Don't you three _ever_ go home?" I gasped.

The Genesis fan frowned, "If we went home, there'd be nobody left to sign people up for our fan clubs."

"We couldn't allow something like _that_ to happen, could we girls?" The Sephiroth fan asked.

"No!" The other two agreed in unison.

"By the way," I continued, my breath coming a little more easily, "Angeal. He that one that carries that big ass sword?"

All three of them looked at me with confused looks.

"That looks like a giant butcher knife?" I tried being more specific.

"Oh!" The Angeal fan squealed. "Yes. Why? Did you finally meet him? How was he?"

"Not my type," I replied.

The Angeal fan frowned while the other two started giggling. For women I gauged to be in their early thirties, they sure did act like teenagers. I jumped a little as my phone started vibrating. I took it out of my pocket. It was Shotgun. Oh, dear. I flipped it open and placed it to my ear, but before I could say anything, the races were off.

"_What do you think you were doing?_" She screamed into my ear. "I gave you the signal!"

I quickly walked out of earshot of the three ladies before replying, "I'm not going to shoot an unarmed man for no reason, Shotgun."

"Pah! That unfounded chivalry will get you nowhere in this job, _Saan_. Tseng wants to see us in his office _now_," she hissed before hanging up.

Unfazed by Shotgun's fury, I calmly pocketed my cell phone and began walking towards the Shin-Ra building. Tseng could bitch all he wanted, but my conscious was going to sleep well that night. I gave the fan girls a smile and friendly wave as I strode past them. Shockingly, they said goodbye right back. Wow, it seemed I had made some new friends out of the whole ordeal. Too bad I wanted to stay far away from them.

When I reached Tseng's office, I wasn't too surprised to see Shotgun already there and back in her Turk uniform. How she had changed clothes so quickly the world would never know. As soon as I stepped foot into the room, she whipped her head around and glared at me. Tseng, however, remained seated at his desk, looking calmly between Shotgun and myself. I stopped in front of his desk.

"I hear you didn't follow orders," Tseng said matter-of-factly.

"She nearly blew the whole mission!" Shotgun shouted.

I ignored her, "I refused to kill a man that didn't need to die, if that's what you mean."

"Unfortunately, whether he was meant to live or die is up to Shin-Ra, not us," Tseng replied before standing up and walking to the windows behind his desk.

"No disrespect, sir, but that seems a little wrong," I muttered.

"I agree," Tseng replied before turning around. "However, over time, you learn to accept it and move on."

Shotgun huffed, "I don't even know why you accepted this job if you couldn't handle it."

I cast her a sideways glance, "Because my friend accepted it, and he's the only one I've got left."

Both Shotgun and Tseng stared at me silently. Shotgun seemed a little more surprised than Tseng did. Then again, he'd seen how Ronnie and I acted together; and I'd already threatened him once that if anything happened to Ronnie, I would not be a happy camper.

Tseng sighed, "Luckily for you, Ms. Darnell, this mission wasn't a failure."

I raised my head a little and made eye contact with him, "I'm guessing Shotgun was able to trick Ardovini into believing someone _else_ was trying to kill him?"

"You say that as if you planned it," Shotgun mumbled. I only smiled.

"No," I replied, "I didn't. But, I figured that was what you were up to when you started shooting at me."

Tseng frowned and looked over at Shotgun, "You left that part out."

"I felt she deserved it," she replied nonchalantly.

"Anyways," Tseng carried on, "since Shotgun was able to convince Ardovini that the people he had sold Shin-Ra's weapons to were the ones trying to take him out, he has since rejoined the company and is giving us all the information he can about the buyers. If anything, this mission turned out better than what was originally planned."

"Because you can't get information from a dead guy," I stated the obvious.

"Exactly, and because of this fact, Verdot is preventing Shin-Ra from firing you."

Oh, well _that _was definitely good news. It would have really sucked to lose my job the first day I really _did_ anything.

"However," Tseng continued. "You are forbidden from taking any assignments for a week, and upon your return, you are not allowed to take any more assassination missions."

I didn't know how to react for that one. Darn, I don't get to work for a week and I'm going to be bored off my rocker. Yay, I'm not going to have to kill anybody. What would that situation be classified as?

"Is that really a form of punishment?" Shotgun asked.

Tseng sat down in his chair and looked up at her, "The first part is."

Wow. The guy had known me for how long, and he already knew that boredom was my worst enemy? His ability to read people was terrifying.

"Now that that's settled, Ms. Darnell, I expect a report from you within a few days. Shotgun's pretty much already given me her version verbally. You two may go."

Shotgun and I wasted no time in getting out of Tseng's office. She exchanged no words with me as she walked down the hallway opposite the direction of the elevators. I didn't mind. I had a feeling from the start that she and I would never get along. Tseng probably would never pair us up again, either. Any man would be a fool to stick two women like we were in the same room together for long, let alone force them to work together.

I took my phone out as I began walking towards the elevators. I pressed one—speed dial for Ronnie—and waited for him to answer. It didn't take long for him to.

"Hel-lo?" He asked.

"Now, what is it about the television?" I asked as the elevator doors slid open for me.

**A/N: Oh my goodness, I finished it! –throws confetti- Seriously, the whole beginning of this chapter made me want to catch it on fire and then bury the ashes. You can probably tell when things starting coming a lot smoother for me _.**

**A few things about the OCs in this chapter. Yes, the Grunt that runs away is the one from **_**way back**_** in chapter four in case you hadn't figured it out. He's probably going to be a reoccurring thing just because he amuses me so. The three women at the fountain **_**do exist**_**. They're in Crisis Core. However, I can't remember where they were, just that the damn Sephy one wouldn't let me join her f-ing club. I found out later that was because I had to do something at the right time, and I didn't, and by the time I found out it was too late, and blah. Also, the secretary's going to most likely always be there. I don't know why…**

**About Shotgun: I do not know this woman's personality other than what I read about her history and the fact she sticks her tongue out at 'Rod' in Last Order. So, if this is **_**way**_** off, forgive me. I'll say it's my 'artistic liberty' or something and get away with it :3. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta beat the Elite Four on Diamond before the 22****nd**** so Ronnie can force me to get Regigigas. _ Oh, yay…**

_**Edit: Wow, giant plot-rape removed. And, wow, I haven't even completed Diamond. I gave up and then SoulSilver came along, and I bought it (for the Lugia toy…sad, I know), and just kinda let it get dust, too. I is a bad Pokemon gamer. Oh, and I joined the Silver Elite…**_


	8. Rods and Reels

**A/N: Sorry it took so long (a month) for the next chapter, but I had school and then I got sick, and then the doctor gave me anti-depressants that made me have mood swings and insomnia; and, when I stopped taking them, I was on a natural high for two days and it's only been recently that I had the patience and time to sit down and actually finish this darn thing. Blah...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, **_**America's Funniest Home Videos**_**, or Popsicles. I do, however, own this plot.**

_**Edited on 21 Sept 2010 for errors and goofs. Also, the days these things were edited aren't the days they were re-uploaded…**_

I sat forward and stared dully at the television screen, the remote control held firmly in my hand as I watched the black-and-white fuzzies dancing hurriedly across its glass surface. Ronnie had not been joking when he said that he had broken the television. I used to be able to take anything remotely electronic and either put it back together, or tell you how by taking it apart. Either that skill had left me, or Ronnie had gained the skill to destroy everything he ever touched. I figured it was the latter and left it at that.

My week of no work was coming to an end, and I was not surprised to find myself wanting nothing more than to return. On more than one occasion, the thought that I should have just killed Ardovini instead of save him had crossed my mind. _Anything_ was better, in my opinion, than having to watch a television with no picture. An-y-thing. Hell, I would have been happy if the TV had _at least_ had sound coming from its speakers… But, no. 'Twas not meant to be. White noise wouldn't even come from the freakin' thing.

On the plus side, I had received a paycheck for a few thousand gil for my first assignment—though it was probably less than Shotgun's—and using that money I was able to afford Ronnie and I new clothes and stock up the refrigerator. I was smart enough to buy food that I could actually cook that time. After all, I _was_ the one that spent most of their time at home nowadays. Of course, that meant my diet composed mostly of fruits, vegetables, sandwiches, chips, and eggs. I tried not to think of where my eggs were coming from because I had yet to see any normal-sized chickens; and the eggs were entirely too small to come from Chocobos. I would have known.

As for Ronnie, he had spent his week actually being productive. It was a shame he wasn't getting paid for it. Most of his missions, which he didn't mind sharing with me, were extremely menial tasks—tasks that he either performed by himself or with the aid of Mugen. Tseng had, unfortunately, not paid attention to my little warning about putting the two together; and, like I had predicted, I had not heard the end of the man.

Remarkably, neither had I heard the end of Reno. Apparently, when he entered the Turks' numbers into my cell phone, he played a cruel trick and mislabeled them. You can guess my surprise when I answered my phone thinking it was Shotgun and a man's voice came from the speakers. That had not Shotgun; and, unfortunately, I still hadn't found out who it was. Given that little tidbit of information, it should be no surprise that I actually took the time to get dressed that day, walk all the way to the Shin-Ra building, and _wait for Reno to return_. I did get quite a good laugh when I saw his surprised expression as my phone collided with his forehead when he finally stepped through the door.

Rude had been kind enough to fix my contact list as Reno and I shared a little shouting-fest. Ledi wound up having me thrown out for 'disturbing the peace,' or something like that. I had been too busy giving Reno the 'I'm-watching-you' look to pay attention. Remembering the little scene made me chuckle as I finally gave up watching the television. The next day, all the Turks were supposed to meet with Tseng for some kind of debriefing thing. It was probably a chance for the newbies to get better acquainted with the other Turks. Or, maybe Shin-Ra just had monthly meetings like some places were required to have. I remembered reading something like that somewhere before.

Whatever the case, it was going to be the perfect opportunity to allow me access to a lot of information about stuff I still had no idea about. I was sure that, not only would I learn more about my fellow Turks, but also I would pick up on how Shin-Ra worked. I had a decent clue, but hunches and guesses could only get a person so far. Over the past week, I had been given a lot of time to think between the grocery shopping, and Reno stalking, and I found my mind constantly coming back to the whereabouts of my plane.

It wasn't until I had been left alone that I realized I had nearly forgotten about the real reason I came to Midgar in the first place. I knew for certain by then that my plane did not reside in Midgar; but, I was still certain that Shin-Ra was the one that had it. Trick was: Where was it? If Shin-Ra was a big military power, then it had to have 'bases' in other cities around the world. Bases that housed the various weapons I knew Shin-Ra _had_ to own. Since I was a Turk—a highly respectable position among Shin-Ra employees—I could easily gain access to almost anywhere I wanted to go.

My face scrunched up in something akin to disgust. _Except_ floor forty-nine. I allowed myself to go _anywhere_ other than floor forty-nine. I considered the Turks to be the 'dark side' of Shin-Ra, and if the Turks were the dark side, then SOLDIER was the light. Very rarely did opposites ever get along. Like cats and dogs. That, and Angeal's giant sword was enough to keep anyone away.

The door knob jingled slightly and I turned around as Ronnie finally returned home. Once again he was wearing a giant smile on his face. Oh, dear. Another day had been spent with Mugen. I waited for him to go spouting off about the former detective, but instead, he remained silent and continued to beam. I frowned.

"What?" I finally asked, unable to take the suspense any longer.

Ronnie didn't reply but instead skipped/hopped over to where I was on the couch and held his hand out…face down and closed tightly into a fist. There we went again. Something else I wasn't going to like. I looked at him with an uninterested stare. There's no way in hell I was taking whatever it was, he could forget it. Ronnie must have interpreted my look.

"Oh, come on! Just take it."

"No."

"It's not gum."

"No."

"It won't bite," He said in an almost sing-song voice.

I grunted but reluctantly held my hand out anyway. If it bit me, he was dead. A silver ring fell from his hand and plopped silently into mine. My forehead creased in confusion. What was it and why was he giving it to me? I had enough rings on as it were. All of which I had gotten as a child or teenager.

I gave him a reproachful look, "You didn't steal this, did you?"

"No!" Ronnie shouted in his defense as he walked back to the door to take his shoes off, "Not technically."

"…"

"I found it in a trash can outside one of the science labs," he continued innocently.

I quickly flung the ring into the air and watched as it clattered loudly onto the tile floor in the kitchen. Ew! Radiation poisoning! Argh! Shaking my hand vigorously as if to rid myself of whatever germs I had just picked up, I glared at the piece of jewelry.

"Sonya!" Ronnie yelled at me as he quickly snatched it off the floor. "What was that for?"

"Do you have _any_ idea where that came from?" I almost snapped.

"A trash can outside one of the science labs?"

Blank stare. "Why do you think it was in that trash can?"

"Because they didn't want it anymore?" Ronnie asked, still completely clueless.

"That looks like a highly expensive ring to just throw away, Ronnie. And they're scientists. Those kinds of people never throw anything away unless it's bad."

"What's so bad about a ring?"

I dropped my head in defeat. Sometimes giving up was the only thing one could do in those situations—hopeless situations. Ronnie ignored my logic and placed the ring on the index finger of his left hand. I stared at it a moment before lazily motioning him over with a flick of my wrist. He obeyed and held his hand out for me to see the ring. It was amazing how he knew what I wanted him to do.

I stared at the silver band in thought. It was pretty plain except for one circular pattern on the top. For some strange reason unbeknownst to me, I decided to reach out and poke it. Ronnie and I both yelped as the ring transformed itself into a bracelet—making loud metallic noises while doing so—and snapped itself tightly onto Ronnie's wrist. My first thought was, 'Ho shi—! Get it off!' Ronnie however had his mouth open in wondrous delight. He had just found himself a new toy. Oh, joy…

"Dude!" He practically squealed. "Awesome!"

He went to run into the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" I screeched, still mortified.

"To take a picture? This thing—"

"Is tightly clasped to your arm!" I shouted as I noticed the veins in Ronnie's hand becoming more visible.

Ronnie looked down and noticed the same detail I had. Instead of freaking out, however, he opened and shut his palm as if he were taking a simple blood-pressure test.

"Dude, I can feel my blood pulsing," he said in awe.

"You're turning purple!" I twitched, finally getting off the couch and rushing over to him.

Ronnie watched in amusement as I tried to futilely pry the thing off his wrist. I finally gave up after the third good tug. The thing was bound and determined it wasn't going to come off. Yeah, well, I could be just as stubborn as it could. Without much thought, I reached into my holster—I made it a habit of wearing my gun just for the hell of it—and placed the nozzle of the barrel on the bracelet. Ronnie shrieked and yanked his hand out of my grasp.

"What?" I asked.

"What do you think you're doing?" He shouted hysterically.

"Shooting it with Thunder!" I replied, as if it was something everyone should have known.

"Metal conducts electricity!"

"Robots are weak against lightning!"

"It's not a robot."

"Then get it the bloody hell off," I growled as I pointed at it with my free hand.

"Alright, alright," Ronnie mumbled as he tried to get the bracelet off. "And when did you turn British?"

I glared at him, forcing him to take it off all the faster. He turned his hand over, pressed the same circular pattern from before, and the bracelet shrunk down to ring-size to rest innocently on his finger. Why hadn't I thought of that? I had made it transform that way the first time, why had it not occurred to me to do the same to make it go back? Wow, I really needed a break from my…break.

Taking a deep breath, I took a step back from the situation, literally. I held my hand out and stared at Ronnie. He pouted at me but reluctantly pulled the ring off his finger and handed it to me. I chucked it at the trash can and was surprised to see it go in.

"Hey!" Ronnie cried.

"Leave it," I growled. "I don't need your hand falling off. Nor mine if you randomly decide to stick it on me in my sleep…"

"How do you know it would eat me?" Ronnie asked defiantly, putting his hands on his hips as he did so.

I stared at him, "I didn't say it would eat you…But, I wouldn't doubt it."

"Oh, come on."

"Leave. It."

And with that having been said, I walked to the refrigerator and started hunting for some food. There was an orange left. At least, I called it an orange. It tasted like one but it wasn't the right color. It was green-ish.

Ronnie walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table, as I looked for a knife.

"So, you're coming to the meeting tomorrow?" He asked, the sounds of his cell phone reaching my ears.

"Naturally," I replied. "You really think I'd stay here and miss an opportunity to get out of this house?"

"You've done it before," Ronnie grumbled.

I sighed as I began to peel the green, "I had a computer to keep me company back then."

"You still haven't fixed the TV?"

I refused to answer that question and continued to peel the fruit; though, the thought did cross my mind to chuck the knife at Ronnie's head and see if I could manage to hit it, too. Green finally peeled, I threw away the skin and took a bite out of it. I paused briefly as juice started flowing down my fingers. Ew…

"I'm taking your silence as a no," Ronnie said getting up.

"Mmm," I nodded in agreement. He was right about that, the good fellow.

I walked into the living room, passing Ronnie as he went into the kitchen, and sat down on the couch. Funny how, even though the TV didn't work, we always sat on the couch facing it. Force of habit, I guessed. Just like how I would always find myself waking up at the crack of dawn…even though I was no longer at Bill's farm or going to work.

Rustling snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned around. My eyes narrowed as I saw Ronnie trying to sneak the ring out of the trash can. He didn't notice I was watching him until he stood back up and pocketed the thing. He grinned sheepishly. I stared back. Ignoring my warning-stare, he walked swiftly upstairs—most likely to avoid my wrath. If I woke up the next morning with a hand missing…or an arm…I vowed he was getting beat with the remaining one.

—**FFVII—**

Ronnie and I entered the conference room where the meeting was to be held. I was surprised to see that we weren't the only ones that were early. Reno and Rude were already seated on the left of the table, while a woman with serious eyes and long, dark hair was seated further on the right on the other side of the table. I gave a glancing look to the woman—curious as to whom she was—before I walked to the side with Reno and Rude. I plopped down beside the red-head while Ronnie sat beside me.

"Finally back, I see," Reno said quietly, "Have fun during your vacation?"

"Oh, yes, totally," I replied, sarcasm dripping off every word.

"Ah. That's too bad. Me and Rude here had a blast," Reno grinned lopsidedly.

"Quite literally," Rude mumbled.

Before I could question what he meant by that—most likely something mission related—I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked over at the woman sitting on the far side from us just as she started to say something.

"Stop teasing the newcomers, Reno," she said forcefully.

Reno looked hurt, "I'm not teasing them."

"Yes, you are," the woman stated matter-of-factly.

Yeesh, things were getting sticky.

"Oh, he's fine," I interrupted.

"Yeah, she's already beamed him in the head with her cell phone," Ronnie added conversationally.

Geh. I cringed a little as Reno narrowed his eyes at me. Yes, I had blabbed about the incident. It was Ronnie, for crying out loud. He was my friend. How could I not tell him? Plus, the story was just too good to let rot in the corner of my brain. The woman on the other side gave me a judgmental stare before focusing on the wall once again.

My attention shifted to the door as a few more Turks filed in. Gun, as I'd learned to call the blonde girl, Mugen, and some younger man with brownish-red hair came in and sat down. All of them seated closer to the 'front' of the room and on the other side of the dark-haired woman. I frowned a little. What? We weren't good enough to sit by? I ignored the paranoid side of my brain as they all three started conversing with one another.

"So, how do you know the Stairmaster?" I heard Reno ask.

I flicked my attention to him for a brief moment before focusing it back to the others, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. Ronnie's response drowned out whatever voices I could hear before, however.

"We used to go to school together," he replied.

"Really?" Reno asked, not even attempting to mask his intrigue, "What school did you go to?"

"We were home schooled," I growled, glaring at Reno.

Way to go there, Ronnie. Nearly blew our cover. I didn't know if Gaia had any schools, but it was more than likely. Hell, even Ancient Greece had universities. Unfortunately, I had no idea what cities schools would be located in on Gaia. What if we said we went to 'Rocket Town High' and there _was no_ _Rocket Town High_? We would have been more than screwed; we would have been fired and then fried. I'd learned quickly that Shin-Ra didn't take well to liars, even though the company did its fair share of lying.

"Oh," Reno trailed off, taking my glare as a warning, but I could still tell he hadn't bought it.

Great, that was just what I needed, Reno trailing my ass thinking I was a spy or something. I briefly wondered what he'd do to me if he thought I was. Though he was pretty laid back, he seemed very devoted to his job. I tried not to imagine Reno pointing a gun at me and pulling the trigger. That would have sucked. That would have sucked in a major way.

"You guys live together, right?" He continued, placing his hands behind his head and leaning back in the chair.

"No!" I growled at him at the same time Ronnie innocently said, "Yes."

"Oh, ho ho," Reno chuckled.

Ronnie was giving me a look as I turned around to smack him on the arm; which, in turn, made everyone else in the room give us all strange looks. I glared at them briefly, and then regretted doing so.

I was making myself appear like a stuck-up bitch again. I had done something similar back as a freshman in high school. Nobody approached me for the remaining three years. It was very annoying to have everyone remember you as, 'that friend of Ronnie's that looks like she could kill somebody.' Hell, even my little brother had been afraid of me, and he hadn't even lived in the same house as I had!

I tried to ignore the looks of equal scorn that suddenly appeared on the Turks in the front's faces and spun back around to growl at Reno.

"Not. Like. That."

"Sure," He said, drawling out the word.

I contemplated telling him Ronnie's orientation to get him to back off or flip him off; but, I didn't know if either of those options would have gotten me anywhere. Ronnie would probably have skewered me for the former, and the latter probably didn't mean anything to the people of Gaia. Before I could do anything to Reno, other than stare blankly as my thoughts wandered elsewhere, Tseng finally entered the room, the remaining Turks following after him.

I have to admit, there were a lot more Turks than I had previously thought—way more. I shrunk a little as Shotgun walked past me, followed by Mugen and some man with black hair and a freaky haircut. Needless to say, I was a little more than shocked when Tseng sat down at the table with the others. I looked at him in confusion. Why would he—?

"Verdot's back," Reno whispered.

I twitched. Holy bajesus, I was going to meet Tseng's boss. My eyes quickly found their way under the table as I wondered if I could hide under it.

"No, you can't hide under the table," Reno sneered.

I then grabbed a hold of the table's edge and jerked back, almost slamming into it after recoiling. It was a strange thing I did whenever something went the way I didn't think it would. It was kind of like a miniature temper tantrum. Once again, all eyes were on me as I never loosened my grip on the table. If anything, my grip tightened.

Ronnie and Tseng both were looking at me, one eyebrow raised in confusion, while Reno looked on with a concerned look on his face. I bit my bottom lip and slid down into my chair, crossing my arms defiantly. Might as well have hurried it up and gotten it over with…before I looked like more of a fool.

An old man (ok, maybe not old, but older than everybody else in the room) finally walked in and stood at the end of the desk toward my left, his arms clasped behind him in an authoritative way. Any chatter within the room—what was left after my outburst, that is—abruptly ceased. For the first time in what felt like in ages all eyes were _not_ on me. Hallelujah for that one.

As soon as the man started talking, my ears immediately stopped listening. Instead, my eyes decided to become the main sense of use as I stared unblinkingly at a spot on the table not far from in front of the gangster dude. There was nothing interesting about said spot. In fact, a spot wasn't even there. But, it sure seemed more fascinating than any topic Verdot could ever have come up with. Unless he was talking to me, scolding me, or ordering me to fetch him coffee, I didn't think anything he said mattered. Oh, how I had been wrong.

"What about that plane?"

I held my breath as I slowly brought my head up to look at the dark-haired woman on the other side of the table—the same one that had gotten onto Reno earlier. Plane? Surely she hadn't meant _my_ plane. I casted Ronnie a sideways glance at the same time he glanced at me.

"Scarlet's team got a hold of it," Verdot replied, uncaring, "Unfortunately, she got someone inexperienced to pilot it and it's now a smoking hunk of metal on a rock wall. Now, about your new assignments-."

And that's where I stopped listening. I stared blankly at a spot over Verdot's shoulder. My plane…had crashed? The Turks had found it, handed it over to some woman named Scarlet, and some _idiot_ had crashed it? No. Scarlet had _taken_ my plane. _She_ was responsible. I wouldn't blame the poor 'inexperienced' pilot, because I highly doubted anyone on Gaia knew the exact workings of the instruments on a Raptor. I should not shoot the messenger. I should shoot the damn person responsible for sending him off in my gosh darn plane.

"Oh, she's _so_ gonna die," I muttered.

Unfortunately, I muttered it loud enough for almost everyone in the room to hear me—including Verdot. The man stopped talking while all heads faced me. I thought about crawling under the table again, and then thought better of it after I realized they could kick me if I did so.

"Something the matter, Saan?" He asked.

Well, at least he hadn't called me 'Ms. Darnell' like Tseng had a habit of doing. However, with the way Verdot sounded like my old substitute teacher Mrs. Reavis, any joy I would have felt never fully-bloomed.

"I'm sorry," I said as I shook my head, "I spaced out there a little bit. I hit my head earlier this morning," I lied, "what were you saying?"

Ronnie's amused look did not go unnoticed by my watchful eye. That's right, Ronnie, I _could_ lie to the authorities…when I didn't want them to kill me for my insolence. Whether Verdot would have ever really done that, I wasn't sure, but I was not going to take any chances.

Verdot frowned and I had a funny suspicion he hadn't believed me about the head comment.

"I said," he continued in an even voice, "that you and your new partner will be infiltrating a house suspected of belonging to an AVALANCHE member."

That was the first time I'd heard of AVALANCHE. It had to have been a group of some kind, or else Verdot couldn't have used the term 'member'; however, other than that, I couldn't tell anything else by name alone. But, I did know that, if the Turks had been ordered to pursue it, the group was anti-Shin-Ra and a pretty decent threat.

"Still don't know why I get stuck with the newbie," the young man with the reddish-brown hair grumbled.

I slowly turned my head to stare at him. Well, fine, then. I wouldn't like him either.

"You're one to talk, _newcomer_," Reno smirked.

"Will you stop calling me that?" The man suddenly shouted, slamming his hand down on the table.

"ENOUGH!" Verdot yelled.

Everyone shut up and swiveled back to face Verdot. The leader glared at each of us in turn before looking back at me.

"Do you have a problem with that mission, Saan, or do I have to assign you something you find more morally acceptable?" Verdot nearly growled.

Oh, yay. Since Reno and Red had pissed off the boss, he was taking his anger out on everyone. Thanks guys. That had been real considerate of you.

"We're breaking and entering, aren't we?" I asked matter-of-factly.

Verdot's eyes narrowed, "Technically—."

"We're breaking and entering, aren't we?" I repeated, cutting him off.

"Yes," Verdot replied sharply. "Is there a problem with that?"

"No, sir."

"Good."

The rest of the meeting was spent with Verdot giving out missions to everyone else and me wishing I could escape by jumping out the window. Unfortunately, I was well above the recommended 'jump-through-a-window' height. Not only that, but I thought that the windows might have been bullet proof; I couldn't tell. But, the Turks were paranoid like that. Actually, _Shin-Ra_ was paranoid like that.

When the meeting was over, I sped-walked out of the room and rushed towards the elevator. Ronnie was dead on my heels.

"So, we finally know what happened to your plane," he said conversationally.

"That we do," I replied in the same tone, "and when I find Scarlet, I'm going to kill her."

Ronnie gave me a look.

"And _don't_," I continued, suddenly spinning around to point at him, "kill her for me. _I_ have to kill her. Revenge doesn't work the same if someone else does it for you."

Ronnie raised a brow, "I'll try to remember that. You know, I think you're not really angry about the destruction of your beloved aircraft. You're doing that 'sarcastic Saan' thing."

"Sarcastic or Sardonic?"

"You know what the latter means?"

"…yes, they're basically the same thing, only one is used more often with facial expressions."

"Touché."

Before Ronnie and I could reach the elevators, however, we were called back by Red.

"Where are you going?" He asked as he jogged up to stand beside me.

"…Somewhere?" I half-asked.

He deadpanned, "Our mission is scheduled to start _today_, newbie."

"Dammit," I groaned. "Fine. Lead the way, newcomer."

The corner of my lip slowly rose as Red's lips slowly turned downwards into a frown. He'd started it, I'd just finished it. I looked over at Ronnie and saw him trying to hold back a smirk as well. Excusing myself from my friend, Red and I went into the other elevator.

He pouted at the wall nearly the whole ride down, his arms crossed over his chest. I lazily looked over at him and noticed a metal rod sticking out of his belt loop.

"So, I'm guessing I'm supposed to call you Rod," I began.

The man only narrowed his eyes at me. I stared back coolly.

"You called me newbie," I said.

His brow furrowed, as if to say, 'Yeah, and?' He sighed and unfolded his arms, placing them in his pockets. He still refused to look at me and, instead, stared hard at his reflection in the door.

"Don't think I don't know about you," he remarked. "Shotgun told me all about what you did."

My brows rose as I looked at his reflection, trying to make eye contact, "Really? And what did she say?"

His reflection turned its eyes towards me, answering my question so that he didn't have to. I shrugged and looked at the doors as they slid open. We stepped out and then Rod started leading me off somewhere.

"Where we going?" I asked.

"You weren't listening were you?" Rod grumbled.

"I had other things on my mind."

"Like your boyfriend?"

I didn't reply. Rod stopped at the door we had come to and searched my face. What he saw was a face of disinterest; however, if Ronnie had been around, he would have warned the man in front of me that 'silent Saan' was nowhere near as playful as 'sarcastic Saan'. In fact, she was good friends with 'homicidal Saan'. He ignored my response, or lack thereof, and pushed the door open.

Waiting for us on the other side was a garage—Shin-Ra's garage to be more precise. Automobiles and motorcycles sat sparkling with their new wax coatings under the dim lights coming from the ceiling. I frowned. Why did some of the vehicles look like shit on Gaia, while others looked somewhat decent? Oh, wait, maybe that was because Shin-Ra kept all the good things for themselves. Yes, that was it.

I flinched as I saw something flying towards my face. I was relieved when my hand reached up and caught it.

"Pick a bike and come on," Rod commanded as I stared at the keys in my hand.

I slowly looked up at him, "I can't drive a motorcycle."

Rod stopped in mid-step and slowly turned to face me. "You can fly a plane, but you can't drive a motorcycle?"

"You'd be surprised what else I can't do," I replied, annoyed.

"I'm not wasting time teaching you. Just hop on and ride with me," Rod groaned as he began walking towards a motorcycle in the corner.

I stared from Rod to the keys in my hand, to Rod, to the keys.

"On second thought," I said, "I think I've magically gained the ability to drive a bike."

Rod frowned at me from his seat atop aforementioned motorcycle. I ignored his looks as I walked over to the bike beside him. Hesitantly, I threw my right leg over the seat and got settled. I looked over at him and grinned. He kept frowning.

"Nothing to it," I said.

"You go first," he commanded, unbelieving.

I blinked. I had a funny feeling he wanted to see me crash into the wall. Well, I was probably going to humor him. I placed the keys into the ignition in the center of the bike…console…thing…and turned them. It roared to life with a very uncomfortable noise. Either Shin-Ra's stuff needed mufflers or they needed to start making better ones, 'cuz _ow_.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to remember all the movies and shows I had ever seen that had bikes in them. One of the handles was the throttle, I was pretty sure the other was the brake, and then there was the kickstand that held the bike up when one parked it. Well, first thing was first: I kicked the kickstand back and tried to ignore Rod's watchful gaze.

The bike moved forward slowly as I pushed it along with my feet. _Ok,_ I thought, _I'm going to have to pick up my feet eventually..._ I suppressed a whine as I slowly twisted the handle on the right side, causing the motor to rev a little and then move the bike forward even faster. One of the first rules I had learned from watching all the idiots on _America's Funniest Home Videos_ was to never panic while riding a motorcycle. Panicking often led to gunning the gas instead of slamming the brake. Unfortunately, that did not stop me from going with the masses and doing the opposite of what logic dictated.

My eyes widened as the bike started moving faster than I had anticipated.

"Aah!" I yelped as the bike bolted towards the opposite wall where the trucks were located.

I placed my foot onto the ground and attempted to turn the bike away from its doomed trajectory and towards the door. Well, I succeeded in turning the bike; however, I wound up leaning into the turn too much and both the bike and I wound up sliding across the floor. I laid spread-eagle on the ground as I watched the bike slide further away, its back wheel turning helplessly as it tried going _anywhere_.

Making the 'irritated tongue-noise' Ronnie and I were known for, I then turned my head to look at Rod. I couldn't tell if he was going into a seizure from the horror he had just witnessed, or was suppressing his laughter, but whatever it was, I didn't like it. I frowned.

"You're pathetic," he finally muttered, smirking at me when he lifted his head back up.

"Bite me," I glared before picking my sorry ass off the floor and walking over to the bike.

"Care to go again or is your ego finally bruised enough to join me?" He asked, still smirking.

My frown never left my face as I picked up the bike, rolled it back to its spot and shut it off. After re-kicking the kickstand back into place, I pocketed the keys, grumbled, and plopped myself down behind Rod.

"Glad to see you could join me," he said, a smile evident in his voice.

"Just shut up and drive," I grumbled, crossing my arms as Rod leaned forward into the bike.

A second passed before he turned and looked back at me, frowning, "You might want to hold on..."

I contemplated whether I wanted to put my arms around his waist or risk flying off backwards or sideways during the trip to wherever we were going. I would have chosen the latter had I not thought about the wonderful rocks and concrete that would have loved to meet my skull should I fall off. Sourly, I wrapped my arms around Rod and pretended I wasn't. I hated touching people...let alone hugging them.

—**FFVII—**

I gritted my teeth as the wind whipped my hair violently behind my head. I was starting to hate motorcycles more and more the longer Rod and I traveled on the darn thing. Sure, he was an exceptional driver, and from what little I could hear from his life story—the rest having been blown away in the wind—he was also good at fixing and stealing them; but, it also helps when one's passenger knows to turn _into _the turn and not freak out and lean _away_. That only forces the driver to overcompensate and yell at the passenger. Rod had the ability to be exceptionally loud when he wanted to be.

The city of Kalm: the beautiful place that was responsible for those damn wolves, I was sure of it, was growing larger by the minute as we sped towards it. According to Rod—and again, most of this was me putting together the pieces because wind didn't carry his voice well—the house we were to 'investigate' was located somewhere within the little town. We were to...well...investigate; and, should anything suspicious turn up, we were supposed to call Verdot. Because, apparently, we newbies were also babies and were incapable of doing anything right.

Well, unfortunately, I wasn't known for taking orders from the Turks too well. I doubted Rod was going to listen, either. After all, he _had been _a former gang leader. Since I knew that, I was going to have to come up with another nickname for the man with the freaky haircut that I'd seen in the meeting.

"You sure you know where this house is?" I shouted into Rod's back.

"For the last time, yes! Do you really think I'd be out here if I didn't?" Rod shouted back.

"...yes!" I replied, "Shotgun did it with Ardovini!"

"I'm not Shotgun!"

Obviously. He lacked the proper equipment and, with the exception of the motorcycle incident, he hadn't insulted my intelligence yet. That was one of the reasons why I had almost forgiven him for the boyfriend comment earlier...Almost.

"Right!" Rod suddenly shouted.

At first I was confused to what he meant, and then I remembered that for the whole trip he'd been shouting which way for me to lean. I complied, and the bike slid to a stop a few meters from the big gates outside the city. I frowned as Rod shut off the motorcycle.

Every city that I had encountered so far had walls to protect them from _something_. Granted I had only seen two cities and the Chocobo Farm, but I had the impression that a lot of cities were like that in Gaia. It was a little depressing…knowing that the people might live in fear at the threat of monsters.

"Saan," Rod said a little louder.

I raised my eyebrows.

"You can let go now..."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, quickly letting go of Rod's waist, "My bad."

Rod gave me a look before peeling himself off the bike and walking towards the open gates. I stared off after him before narrowing my eyes. If only I were a mind reader. I picked myself up off the bike, made sure it wasn't going to fall over, and quickly jogged to catch up with Rod.

The city inside the outer walls was a bit different than what I had imagined it to be; and was vastly different from what Midgar was. Its buildings were old in style, and the road was made of stone instead of concrete. What attracted me to the city, I think, was the homely feeling it gave off. It was simple; it was quiet; it was tiny; and, my God, it had fresh air—fresh air and plant life. Honey, I was home.

Rod and I passed many pedestrians as he led us through the town. Almost everybody smiled or nodded at us as we went by. I even returned a few hellos that had been thrown my way.

I frowned a little as a young girl and her mother passed us, bouncing along with a doll in her hand. Everything was so peaceful in Kalm. Peaceful and pure. That didn't add up.

"Are you sure that dude's house is here?" I asked, breaking the silence that had descended upon us for the past few minutes.

"Why do you keep asking me that?" Rod snapped.

"Because it just doesn't add up," I replied. "Ok, yeah, I believe you know where you're going now. That's not what's got me on edge. It's just… Ever since we got here, I haven't felt any threatening force from _anybody_ in this damn town. If AVALANCHE or Wutai soldiers were here, wouldn't it be pretty damn obvious?"

Rod stopped walking and turned to face me. Crossing his arms, he frowned. His body language quickly gave off what he was thinking. I was an insane, paranoid newbie that had no idea what the hell she was doing and he would have really liked for her to shut up so he could do his job. It's amazing how ninety percent of communication is nonverbal.

"I'm serious!" I continued.

"The bad guys aren't just going to make themselves obvious, Saan. They're going to hide because they don't want to get caught. Just because you don't see anything wrong on the surface doesn't mean squat."

I frowned. Rod and I stared at one another as I tried to absorb what he had said. Maybe I _was_ just being paranoid. I groaned, shrugged my shoulders and began walking again.

"Whatever," I mumbled as I passed Rod.

Rod allowed me to continue for a moment before finally stating, "You don't know where you're going."

"No," I moaned, turning around to look at him, "but I assumed that you would start walking and take the lead again."

Rod gave me an amused look. I blinked.

"Ass out of you and me, yeah, I know. Can we go now?"

Rod snorted but complied.

We continued walking through Kalm for a good thirty minutes as Rod searched for the house we were to break into. He had the address written down on a little sheet of paper he kept in his pocket. The paper made an appearance on more than one occasion. After about the fourth time in ten minutes, I just _had_ to ask—once again—if he knew where he was going.

"Saan!" He had growled.

No, no, he had _no idea_ where he was going. Well, maybe he knew the destination, but he had no clue on how to get there. It seemed that men really did have no sense of direction. I thought about asking a random person on the street (and there were many of those) where the house was; but, if I asked the wrong person…they could alert whoever it was we were supposed to surprise, and that would have been really stupid on my part. I probably would have definitely got fired after that, as well; so, I decided it better to keep my mouth shut.

When we finally did arrive at the house, I was once again shocked. It was run down and it looked like no one had lived in the thing for eons. I cocked my head to the side as I observed the crooked window panes and broken windows. A great threat to Shin-Ra was supposed to have resided in _that_? The corner of my lip slowly turned upward as I glanced at Rod. He, too, seemed to have trouble believing what he was seeing.

"Are you _sure_ this is the right house?" I mocked.

Rod slowly turned his head to face me. He didn't respond—simply blinked before huffing and striding towards the faded door. My smirk grew into a grin as I followed after him.

"I wouldn't doubt it if this was some prank call," I joked.

"Do you honestly believe the Turks would fall for something so stupid?" Rod asked defensively.

As he went to open the door, the knob jiggled and fell to the ground with a dull _thunk_. I snickered, the door slowly opening with a loud creak. Rod merely stared at the knob as it lay on the stone step.

"Yes," I replied, "yes, I do."

Rod glared at me and entered the house. I followed after him and was surprised to find my hand making its way towards my holster. The inside of the house was just as decrepit as the outside. Cobwebs and dust were everywhere and the stairs leading up to the second floor seemed way too worn to even attempt standing on, let alone climb. However, that didn't stop Rod from making a bee-line for them.

I didn't try to stop him. If he wanted to break his neck, then he was free to go ahead and try. I, on the other hand, would play it safe and explore the first floor. Making my way slowly through the entrance hallway, I peeked around the corner and found the living room. Everything was covered in white sheets and whatever wasn't had been torn and eaten by moths.

I stepped into the living room and to a small door in the corner. Gently, I pushed it open with my forefinger. It groaned loudly as it swung open. A kitchen. It, too, was in a state of disrepair. There was dust on the stove that was at least an inch thick. That fact pretty much sealed it for me.

The place was abandoned. Nobody lived here. There were no AVALANCHE members or Wutai soldiers. Whatever information had been given to Verdot was false and the Turks had been sent on a wild goose chase. Oddly, that fact made me feel happy.

"There's no one here!" I shouted at the ceiling.

It was a moment before Rod answered, "Get up here!"

I sighed. So much for trying to avoid the stairs. I left the kitchen and walked back to the decaying wooden steps. I frowned down at them.

"This is so not going to end well," I mumbled.

Regardless, I pushed my fears away, took a deep breath, and placed my foot on the first step. It _didn't_ go through. The hard part was over. One by one I slowly ascended, cringing every time something creaked under my weight. Reaching the last step, I jumped over it and landed successfully at the top. I threw my arms into the air in victory. I had made it!

"Congratulations, you climbed some stairs," Rod deadpanned.

"D'ah!" I jumped.

Rod stared at me for a moment, "There's something I need you to check out."

With that being said, he turned on his heels and walked away. I glowered after him. Those people always knew how to ruin my fun. I was never going to be in a good mood as long as I was on the job, I could tell.

"What do you need me for?" I griped as I followed him, "I'm the newbie, remember?"

"It's always better to have more than one opinion on something."

He did have a point there. He came to a stop at a nearby window. Below it and branching off to the other rooms on the floor was a pattern of footprints in the dust. So, apparently someone _had_ been here. But, that didn't mean anything, really. Whoever it was hadn't lived here, that was for sure. It could have just been some kids passing through or something. Maybe a thief or two.

I stared at the window for a moment, and then looked at Rod. He was giving me an expectant look.

"Someone's been through here?" I half-asked.

"That's what it looks like, but there are no other signs of anybody having traveled through the house. It's only around the window and into the other rooms," Rod replied. "That doesn't make sense."

I snorted, "Sure it does. It means they came through the window and walked around upstairs then went back out through the window."

"The window doesn't look as if it's been moved for quite some time," Rod countered.

"Well, maybe they came in through another window. Did you check the other windows?"

"Not yet, but I did check the other rooms. No one's here."

"Well then, I don't understand why you're so paranoid. No one's here, and with the exception of some disturbed dust, there's no sign of recent activity. If this was a major hideout for AVALANCHE or Wutai soldiers, don't you think it'd be frequented more often?" I asked switching my weight to my left leg, "And even if that's not enough to convince you, there's dust all throughout the kitchen downstairs. I highly doubt a soldier would eat nothing but packed lunches from Mama for days on end."

"You're such an ass, do you know that?" He asked as I placed my hand against the window sill, leaning on it.

"So I've been told," I replied.

My hand slipped a little against the sill causing me to stumble a bit. Rod smirked at me as I re-righted myself. Oh, shut up. Looking down at my hand I grimaced as I noticed it was covered in dust.

"Ew," I muttered as I went to wipe the foul substance on my pants.

I paused. My eyes drifted down to the sill again. Something had caught the light from the window and shone into my eye. Frowning, I once again leaned forward to inspect the window.

"What is it?" Rod asked.

"I don't know," I replied, cocking my head to the side.

I pointed at the silver line that held my attention at the base of the window. Odd, I thought as I plucked it with my finger. It made a fine twang noise as it vibrated back and forth. Was it just me, or did it look a lot like a fishing line?

"Get back!" Rod suddenly shouted.

He grabbed a hold of my shoulder and violently jerked me back. I shouted as I stumbled backwards, my finger accidentally pulling the string along with me. A tiny click emitted from some part of the window as the string suddenly went limp in my finger. Oh, shit... Trip wire.

I was vaguely aware of the sound of shattering glass as I was suddenly blown off my feet. My ears rang painfully as I felt myself fly through the air. I hit the ground a second later, rolling over and over before sliding to a stop. I couldn't see; I couldn't hear; and I was barely conscious of the fact that I still existed.

Everything hurt as I tried to roll myself over onto my stomach. Through my ringing ears, I heard what sounded like men shouting. I blinked away the black dots that invaded my vision and tried to focus on the direction of the window. People were swarming into the tiny hallway Rod and I was in through the adjacent rooms.

Dammit! We had been set up! The fucking set up was even a set up.

It took me a few moments to realize that one of the blobs in my vision was, in fact, Rod. I scrunched my face in confusion, my brain still in shock. He was still standing? Slowly, I managed to bring myself to my hands and knees. The room spun in circles as I did so, but the ringing in my ears finally started to subside.

A scream bounced off the walls around me, causing me to cringe; the sound felt as if it was stabbing directly into my brain. I turned my head just in time to see a frozen human Popsicle smash into pieces. I gaped in horror as the pieces fell to the ground with loud thuds. Noticing a man approach Rod from behind, my mind quickly jumped into action as well as my body.

"Rod!" I shouted, pushing myself off the ground and sprinting towards him, my hand effortless drawing my weapon, "Behind—!"

I gasped for air as something punched me hard in the stomach. I stumbled, feeling my knees giving out. Oh, no they didn't. Not today! Gritting my teeth, I grasped a hold of the arm that had hit me and jabbed my gun into the person's side.

As I fell to my knees I shouted, "Thunder!"

Both the man I had grabbed and I screamed as the electric current jumped through his body and into mine. I fell over onto my hip, numb all over. The man wasn't as lucky. The elemental blast had struck him in his ribs and blown him back against the wall, causing his head to hit with a sickening thud and down he went. I didn't give a damn if I had killed him or not, the only person I was worried about was Rod—and to a lesser extent myself.

I shakily, yet quickly, got back to my feet. Another shattering sound followed by more sickening thuds. I shivered but rushed over to Rod anyway. Someone tried to come out of the door in front of me, but I reached it before them. With a shout, I grabbed a hold of the handle and ran into the door, pushing it. The man screamed and dropped his rifle as the door slammed against his forearm.

Angrily, I slammed the door into his arm again. His arm broke with a crunch. Screaming, he pulled his arm back out of the door. I slammed it shut, aimed my gun at the handle, and fired another electrical shot. No other screams came from the other side of the door, so I figured the man hadn't been gripping the handle (which was probably a good thing on his account), but I had managed to melt the metal to a point where it couldn't be opened. Well, that was _one_ problem taken care of.

"Rod!" I shouted once again, turning my head to look at him.

He hadn't gotten away from the blast unscathed. Blood was pouring out of a wound on his forehead, most likely caused by flying glass; and, it was unfortunately falling right into his left eye, making him blind. Jumping over a pile of frozen people chunks, I pistol-whipped the man Rod was struggling with. He fell to his knees, but before he could get back up, Rod delivered a powerful kick to his skull. I cringed a little as the man fell to the floor.

With all the enemies taken care of, Rod and I took a moment to catch our breath. Rod glared up at me with his good eye.

"Well," I breathed, "that was interesting."

"You are such an _idiot_," he growled, placing his hands on his knees.

I couldn't argue with him there. Only an idiot wouldn't have been able to notice a trip wire when he/she saw one. However, in my defense, he _had_ yanked me back before I had let go of the wire. My ears perked up as the sound of thumping feet reached them. Eyes widening, I flipped my head around to look at the door I had sealed shut. Oh, no.

With a loud bang, the door bulged and nearly popped out of its frame.

"There are more?" I screeched in dismay.

"What are you waiting for? Run!" Rod shouted, taking off himself.

I stuttered for a moment as I tried to figure out what was going on. Everything was going way too fast for my brain to process. That and I was still recovering from an explosion to the face… When the door nearly flew off its hinges a second time, I decided it was probably a good idea to get my ass out of there.

Heading Rod's previous advice I broke for the stairs. As soon as my foot hit the third step, I heard the door break. I didn't have time to take my cautious self down the stairs one by one; so, instead, I lunged myself forward. My feet hit the floor and it felt like fire spread through my ankles. Stumbling, I somehow managed to turn my falling body towards the door.

Pushing myself up with my left hand, I continued running towards the open door. When I reached it, a crunching noise from the stairs made me turn and look back. I laughed. One of the infantrymen chasing us had fallen through the stairs. Payback was a bitch, wasn't it?

My amusement didn't last long as a bullet ricocheted off the door frame—mere inches from my head. I immediately turned and ran out the door. People in the street gave me odd looks as I barreled past them. I didn't get far before they started screaming, their screams followed shortly by gunshots. The damn idiots were shooting into a crowded street to get to me! Who did that sort of thing?

I took a sharp right down an alleyway and then took a left onto another street. Where the hell was Rod? The bastard had left me! I ran for a minute or two, weaving in and out of streets and alleys, before clomping to a stop near a big fountain in the town square. Breathing heavily, I looked around to see if anybody was still following me. They weren't, thank God.

My hand shook as I reached into my pocket and drew out my phone. I hit the speed dial for Rod's number and waited for him to pick up. The phone rang and rang before Rod finally—and much to my relief—picked up.

"Where the hell are you?" He asked.

"Wondering where the hell you are!" I shouted back, "You left me!"

"I told you to run!"

"I did! And you didn't tell me _where_."

"Back to the bike, where _else_ would you freaking run to?" He asked angrily.

I paused for a moment, "The town square?"

A pause from his end this time, "Stay there. I'll come pick you up. Just don't get shot in the mean time."

"Wait," I hesitated, "your eye. You can't see anything."

"I still have my right one. I can see enough to get to you, but you're going to have to drive back to Midgar."

"I can't freakin' drive a motorcycle!" I shouted in horror. He was crazy!

"You're going to have to," Rod snapped. "We have no other alternative. If we call Verdot for back-up, not only will he be pissed, but it'll go on your permanent record as a failed mission. Do you really want that to happen? You'll be fired for sure this time!"

I remained silent at that. I couldn't risk getting fired. I was the only one making money for Ronnie and myself to get by on; losing my job would have been a major inconvenience. I sighed.

"Fine. Whatever. But I can't promise you we won't end up splattered up against a wall or something."

"You'll be fine. I'll be there in a second," Rod replied and hung up.

I flipped my phone shut and pocketed it before holstering my gun. Leaning up against the fountain stones, I slowly slid down until I was seated on the ground. My life sucked. Or, was it just my job that sucked? I couldn't tell anymore.

Ronnie never got into those sorts of situations. That was it! I could have switched positions with Ronnie and gotten the desk job, instead. I snorted. Yeah, right. Knowing my luck, I'd have gotten stuck with tons of reports to do.

It wasn't long before my thoughts were interrupted by the familiar hum of a motorcycle engine. I raised my head up from looking at the ground and watched as Rod quickly pulled up in front of me, sliding to a stop just as he had at the front of the city.

He frowned at me as he shut the machine off. I frowned at the motorcycle I was doomed to drive.

"What's the matter with you?" He asked concern actually evident in his voice.

I brought my eyes up to look at his, "What do you think?"

His frown never left his face, "Everyone has their bad days."

"I've had two."

"In two weeks."

"I've only worked for two days during those two weeks."

Rod chuckled, "Well, in that case, you're right. You suck. But, are you going to pout about it, or get over it and drive your sorry ass back to Midgar and get those cuts looked at?"

My frown worsened. Bringing my fingers up to my face, I gently prodded my cheeks and forehead. I brought my hand down and, sure enough, tiny droplets of blood were on it. I stood up, turned around, and stared at my reflection in the pool of water below the fountain. Great. I had tiny cuts all over my face from flying glass. Wonderful.

"Didn't even know they were there, did you?" Rod asked mockingly.

I turned my head and narrowed my eyes at him, "I got blown up, punched, and shocked."

Rod shrugged, "That was your fault."

Suppressing a growl, I stormed my way over to the bike and forced my way onto it. Rod had to scoot back pretty quickly to keep me from sitting on him. My hand hovered over the right handlebar.

"Which one's which?" I asked.

Rod sighed, "You really don't know anything, do you?"

"…"

"The right handle is gas; the lever above that is the front brake; the right pedal is the back break; the lever above the left handle is the clutch; and finally, the left pedal is the gear shift. Do you have everything so far?"

I snorted, "I have everything, oh Bike Master. Now, grab on and try not to scream."

Rod didn't reply for a moment, and when he didn't wrap his arms around my waist either, I finally turned my head around to see what he was doing. The look he was giving me was priceless. I had to force myself to keep from laughing. It was a look that said, 'You're so full of shit.'

"I'm serious," I smirked. "Gas. Break. It's all good. It might take me a while to get used to manually shifting something, but I'm pretty sure I can keep us off the wall now…And the ground."

"Good," Rod nodded, "Because it would really suck to live through an attack by AVALANCHE only to be killed by your driving."

I frowned, "So, it was AVALANCHE that attacked us?"

"I'm not sure," Rod replied, finally wrapping his arms around my waist, "but they're top on my list of suspects."

"Right," I said leaning forward. "Hold on tight."

"Holding. Is there anything else I should be doing besides not screaming?"

"Yeah, don't bleed on me."

I heard Rod snicker, "I'll try not to, but I can't make any promises."

"In that case, you're paying my dry cleaning bill," I replied as I slowly started to ease the bike forward.

"Oh, is that so?" Rod asked amusedly.

"Mm-hmm," I hummed in response.

Giving the bike a little more throttle, I turned it and pointed the front wheel towards the road leading to the front gates. Praying that there were no pedestrians in my way, I gunned the engine. The bike shot forward. That's when I wondered, how did one tell when to change gears?

—**FFVII—**

The ride went by without a hitch. It had taken me a few minutes, but eventually I'd gotten used to shifting the motorcycle. Turning was easier than I thought it would have been, and the giant rocks that dotted the landscape between Midgar and Kalm were no problem for me. Along the way, Rod had phoned Verdot to tell him of our situation. I didn't know how our boss was able to hear him over the motorcycle engine, but apparently he had. He wasn't too happy with us.

From what Rod told me in a shortened version of what Verdot had told him, we were both incompetent for not following orders. Verdot was extremely upset with us because we had gone into the house without alerting him first. In all honesty, I had forgotten to. All the twists and turns Rod and I had done on our way there must have also turned my brain inside out. That, and I'm also good at forgetting things I think don't matter. Calling my boss must not have been important in my brain's opinion.

On our way back to Midgar, the Turks' helicopter (one of them) had passed us overhead. Rod explained that they were probably going to check the house more thoroughly; maybe even try to identify the men who had attacked us. I didn't think they'd get any info from the men Rod had taken out. Human Popsicles were only good for getting DNA samples, after all.

I was still a little disturbed about the man I had blasted earlier with Thunder. Sure, he had tried to attack me, but I had never meant to kill him. That's why I never loaded my gun. I had never killed anyone before, even in the military. I didn't plan on doing so anytime soon, either. Some part of me prayed that the man was still very much alive despite his injuries.

When Rod and I finally arrived back at Shin-Ra's garage it was well into the evening. I was surprised to see Reno waiting by the door as I pulled the bike around to park it. As soon as the bike crawled to a stop, Rod was off and walking briskly towards Reno, leaving me alone to take care of the damn machine I was beginning to despise.

"Geez, newcomer. What'd Stairmaster do to _you_?" Reno asked as Rod stopped in front of him.

"I didn't do nothin'!" I exclaimed as I turned the motorcycle off and kicked the kick-stand into place.

"Oh, sure. That trip wire pulled itself," Rod mumbled quietly, yet I was still able to hear it.

"Oh, don't even start!" I shot back, nearly tripping over the seat of the motorcycle as I brought my leg over it, "I wouldn't have pulled that wire if you hadn't yanked my shoulder!"

"I wouldn't have yanked your shoulder if you hadn't have been stupid enough to pluck the damn thing like a guitar," Rod countered as he turned to face me.

I opened my mouth to shout my own comeback but Reno's laughter stopped me in my tracks. Rod and I both glared at the red-headed man.

"What?" We growled simultaneously.

Reno only started laughing harder.

"You guys are perfect for one another," he grinned, shaking his head.

"Like hell we are!" Rod exclaimed.

"Are not!" I shouted.

Reno shook his head more before turning to walk through the door leading into the Shin-Ra building.

"Seriously, you two are something else. There's no wonder why Verdot paired you together for the mission." Reno paused and faced us, "Speaking of Verdot, he wants to see you. He's in Tseng's office right now; so, it shouldn't be too hard for you to find, Saan."

Reno snickered as I growled and glared at him before he disappeared beyond the door. Rod and I looked at one another, both of us wearing the same defiant expression. Oh, god. I was starting to wonder if Reno had been right. _Were_ we alike? I forced myself to think otherwise and stormed past Rod.

"Come on," I ordered. "The sooner we get this over with, the quicker we can get cleaned up."

**A/N: I did it! I had to brave two tornado warnings and an old man with Alzheimer's, but I got this posted! x.x Is it just me, or does my writing style change halfway through this thing just a little? -shrug- I wanted to continue until I got to Verdot's office, but I figured that'd take too long and make the chapter too long as well. Reviews, constructive criticism, hell, even ideas would be greatly appreciated.**

_**Edit: Fixed more plotholes. And, while doing so, I almost made another error. Instead of hearing the door break, I almost heard it bread… Ronnie thinks that door bread sounds louder than corn bread. It sure is harder, in any case.**_


	9. SOLDIERs and Presidents

**A/N: Hey, look, I updated before a month. Barely, but I did it :D. -collapses- Oooh, I feel like crap. I hate weather. Seriously, if I didn't need -sneezes- my skeletal system to keep me standing and making blood, I'd rip it out. Oh, and it's come to my attention that this has been added to a community thingy. O.o I find that odd, but if it allows this fic to get more readers...okay. The more, the merrier?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII's rights, but I do own a copy of the game (finally), this plot, and whatever ailment is wrong with me. Though I wish I didn't own that...**

_**Edited (Editoed, wow, it's too early) on 27 Sept 2010 for errors and goofs—like that one up there. Resumed editing on 3 Oct 2010 because, holy hell, exam week was tough.**_

I stepped through the door and into the lobby on the first floor of the Shin-Ra building. Luckily, there weren't many people around to stare at my glass-battered face. I had a funny feeling that that wouldn't have held true the further I traveled through the building. The door slammed behind me; I was sure Rod was following after me, but I refused to look at him.

Reno had injured our pride by saying what he had, and some childish part of myself wouldn't allow me to look upon the face of the person who had been dubbed my 'other.' If I did, I was certain I wouldn't have been able to stop staring long enough to think of anything other than, 'Are we _really_?' I was also quite certain that Rod would have felt uncomfortable with me staring blankly at him for long periods of time while my brain thought up of more stupid stuff.

As I walked into the elevator on the second level, Rod following shortly behind me, I was surprised to hear someone call out to me. I blinked, unsure if someone had indeed just shouted at me or if they were shouting at someone else. However, when I made eye contact with the older teenager as he ran full steam towards us, his arms waving like some maniac, I figured that, _yes_,was talking to me…or us…Whichever.

Quickly, I slipped my hand out in the way of the closing doors.

"What are you—?" Rod tried to ask.

Luckily, the doors didn't slam onto my person that go around, but as the black-headed boy squeezed his way through the tiny opening, I was almost certain he'd 'shave' off my arm with the sword that hung from his back. Before the boy's foot had even made it all the way into the elevator, I'd already yanked my arm back out of harm's way. Amazingly, both his foot and my arm escaped any fatal injuries and the doors shut without a sound.

"Oh…" Rod muttered.

"Thanks," the boy gasped as he tried to catch his breath.

I stared down at the arm that was almost lost, "Don't mention it…"

"Late again, eh, Zack?" Rod teased.

I glanced between him and the new kid. Rod had quite a mischievous smirk on his face, while Zack, though still breathless, was giving Rod the cutest defiant pout I had ever seen. It only lasted a second before it was quickly replaced with a look of shock.

"Jeez, man, what happened to _you_?" Zack asked.

Rod's expression quickly turned serious followed shortly by annoyed. Poor new kid. He had no idea that we had already gone over that conversation a grand total of about three times by that point. Probably four, but who was counting?

"None of your business," Rod snapped.

Zack recoiled a little, "Just askin'..."

An uncomfortable silence descended upon the elevator for a couple of floors. I didn't like uncomfortable silence. Maybe it was because it was 'uncomfortable'; or, maybe it was because my ears constantly rang when all was quiet due to listening to my headphones too loud when I was younger. Either way, I got fed up with the silence pretty quickly and decided to end it with bland conversation. I was stuck with the men for the next...thirty odd floors...I may as well have learned to make friends.

"So, you work with Angeal?" I asked casually.

Zack started a little at my sudden question, but answered, "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"You have the same giant sword thing going on."

Zack frowned, "All SOLDIERS are required to wield them."

"Oh..." I trailed off.

"Excluding the Firsts," Rod chipped in.

"First what?" I asked innocently.

Both Zack and Rod stared at me with that all too familiar look. That look that told me I had just shoved my foot in my mouth, again, and I should really stop talking if I knew what was good for me. One of those days, I was going to say something that should have been blatantly obvious and someone was going to know for _sure_ that I was from another planet. Then I'd probably have been experimented on along with other unpleasant things humans were always accused of doing to aliens, and vice versa.

I shuddered at the thought, "What?"

"How can you not know what a SOLDIER First Class is?" Zack asked.

"I'm new, okay? Don't expect me to know everything," I replied with a huff, crossing my arms in front of me.

Rod snorted, "How long are you going to use that excuse?"

"Until it stops working," I muttered back.

Zack ignored Rod's brief interruption.

"SOLDIER consists of three classes." he held up three fingers, lowering them as he went along, "Third, Second, and First. First is the highest rank a SOLDIER can achieve. They pretty much get to do whatever they want; within company boundaries, that is."

"What rank are you?" I asked.

"Second," Zack replied with a grin.

My eyes flickered to Rod as I noticed a small sneer appearing on his face. Zack followed my eyes and noticed Rod's expression, as well. He frowned.

"Though, I've been suggested for First" he added, albeit somewhat sourly.

"And I wonder who proposed that," Rod replied.

"What was that?" Zack almost growled.

Whoa. Zack had gone from happy little teenager to I-will-rip-your-throat-out in a matter of moments. Ok, maybe it wasn't _that_ severe, but it was obvious whoever Rod was talking about was someone Zack admired, and if Rod progressed with his teasing―or whatever the hell it was he thought he was doing―Zack probably wouldn't have thought twice before throwing a punch...or two.

"_Boys,_" I stressed.

Rod threw me a bored look while Zack's still held his threat.

"We're in a tiny elevator," I explained, "Rod, if you start something that causes Zack to hit you, he might just accidentally get me, too, given our close proximity. That would make me very unhappy. And, if things should escalate to the point of Zack cleaving you in two―which I doubt because he doesn't seem the type―then, I, too, will get cleaved making me unhappy and dead.

"And, Zack, should you cleave us in two, just remember you'd slice the elevator as well and might cause it to malfunction which could end up trapping and/or killing you. Either way you go about it, it's a lose-lose-lose situation, and whatever little spat there is between you two, would be best left for _outside the elevator_."

Both boys stared at me for a moment, different expressions clearly visible on their faces. Rod was staring at me, unblinking, and I was almost certain he was a step away from glaring at me. Zack, on the other hand, was giving me an uncertain look.

"I've had a bad day, leave me alone," I mumbled before turning away to face the elevator doors.

I could still see Zack and Rod's reflections in the doors, and I was amused when Zack looked over at Rod like, 'What was _that_?' Rod replied with a sideways glance and shrugged. I smirked.

"I can still see you."

The elevators dinged, causing me to look up. Well, what do you know? We'd arrived. Oh, joy. The doors slid open and I stepped out followed by Rod. Rod continued on, but I paused to glance back into the elevator. Zack was standing there, lazily moving from one foot to the next. He paused when he noticed I was staring at him. I grinned evilly. Zack's eyebrow went up. I laughed then jogged after Rod.

"He's so fun to tease," I grinned when I had caught up.

"And yet you stopped me when I was doing it," Rod muttered, not taking his eyes off his destination.

"He's fun to tease, not provoke," I replied, cocking my head to the side and giving Rod a look.

He didn't respond, and instead, opened the door to Tseng's office. I stopped immediately as Rod went in. Sure enough, there was Verdot, sitting down in Tseng's chair. That didn't surprise me. No, Reno had told us Verdot was the one that wanted to see us. It was the expression on Verdot's face.

His look was stern, harsh, and full of disappointment; and, for some reason he seemed to be looking more at me than at Rod. I felt as if I was a demon that had just laid eyes on God and I was about to burst into flames any minute for having done so. Did that make much sense? No. But, that's how much Verdot's "look" had thrown me off.

Hesitantly, I closed the door behind me and slowly approached the desk. Gone was the mischievous streak I had felt earlier. Everything was strictly business from here on out, and, man, that was an extremely depressing prospect.

Verdot was silent a moment as Rod and I waited patiently in front of the desk―Rod with his hands behind his back and me slouched over from the weight of guilt Verdot's stare was seemingly giving me. Tseng's expression was, as usual, a clean sleight as he stood behind Verdot and in front of the big windows in the office. However, if I was any good at reading people, I could tell he was slightly uncomfortable about having to see what was about to occur. It was that bad, huh?

"You disobeyed orders," Verdot growled out. It wasn't so much that he sounded angry, but that his voice seemed a little rougher than it had earlier that day. Maybe it was because I was actually paying attention then.

"Sorry, sir," Rod mumbled. "It won't happen again."

Verdot's eyes traveled to Rod, "Is there any particular reason _why _you didn't call for back-up?"

"It kind of..." I trailed off when Verdot's gaze snapped back to me, "Slipped our minds."

Verdot's frown worsened, "From what I heard this was all your fault, Saan."

I twitched. Ouch. Did he have to put it so bluntly? Wait a minute, it wasn't _all_ my fault! Sure, I had pulled the damn wire, but that meant nothing!

"That seems to be a running problem with you. I'm starting to wonder if I made a bad call by brining you into the Turks," Verdot continued, his full attention on me, "You've only had two missions and both of those ended in disaster. Rod here's had his fair share of failures as well, but none to the extent of those caused when you're involved. Is there a reason for that?"

I had to take a steadying breath to reply. I understood that I had screwed up in some ways, but Verdot was making it sound ten times worse than it really was. At least, that's the way any _normal _person would see the situation. Shin-Ra on the other hand... The company didn't like failure; and it wasn't too kind to those who failed.

"With all due respect, sir. The first mission didn't fail. Not entirely. It just went in a different direction—."

"Is that what you call it? You botched the mission just because you didn't want to kill a man! If it wasn't for Shotgun—."

"Shotgun tried to blow my fucking head off!" I shouted. Verdot paused long enough for me to keep going.

"So sue me if I value people's lives, no matter how screwed up they are. On second thought I take that back. You probably would sue me. Or worse. I wouldn't put it past Shin-Ra," I saw Tseng's expression turn uneasy, but I continued. "As for today's mission—."

"Today's mission was a set-up," Rod interrupted.

Verdot, Tseng, and I both looked at him in surprise. Me for a different reason, obviously. Rod had intervened on _my _behalf, after all.

"Ask the others when they get back. That place wasn't, nor has never been, a hiding place. I think the only reason why the window was rigged the way it was was because they _knew _Saan and I would be arriving at that house. They knew exactly when we'd be there, what we'd do, and had prepared themselves to take us out. Whoever they were, they set us up! Who gave you that tip?" Rod almost demanded.

Tseng looked uneasily at Verdot before my eyes also drifted over to our boss. He was staring hard at Rod. It was almost like he hadn't wanted to believe the words that came out of Rod's mouth. After a few seconds, Verdot sighed heavily and cast his eyes down to the table, his chin hovering above his clasped hands.

"I can't say," Verdot finally replied.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. His response had been almost...regretful. I didn't understand what he was regretful about, but there was definitely something on his mind. Tseng took a step further.

"Sir?" He asked hesitantly.

"I can't say," Verdot repeated, leaning back in the chair, "but rest assured I will get to the bottom of the matter. Personally, if I have to. Regardless," his eyes flicked back to me, "you're still in hot water, Saan."

I frowned. So, he wasn't going to fire me because I sucked at my job, and he wasn't going to beat me senseless, either; however, it appeared I was _still _going to be reprimanded in some way. I shuddered to think they wanted to suspend me for another week. The television still wasn't fixed. I couldn't handle that kind of torture. Plus, I wouldn't have been paid for that week. Ronnie and I needed the money.

"I'm going to have you—." Verdot began.

"I want training," I said quickly. Everyone in the room stared at me strangely.

"What?" I asked innocently, "The only training you guys gave me before thrusting me into missions was that sad excuse for a gun range," I tried to ignore the disapproving looks from Tseng and Verdot, "Sure, I can shoot moderately well, but today I nearly got my ass kicked in close range combat. I might be able to punch when the need arises, but even _that _sucks. If you want me to be a fine, model Turk, then I suggest you give me more training. Who knows," I looked hard at Verdot, challenging him, "I might stop screwing up so much."

Verdot stared back at me, his gaze unwavering. His face was blank, so I was unable to tell what he was thinking, but at least he was thinking. That meant he was probably considering my proposal. Which meant I might not have to watch anymore black and white fuzzies after all.

"Very well," he finally spoke. "I'll have one of the others train you in martial arts."

Yes!

"However, I am still reassigning you to bodyguard duty."

No!

"That way, not only are you stationed within the Shin-Ra building almost 24/7, but you might just get to use the abilities being taught to you," Verdot continued as he wrote in a manila folder. "As for you, Rod, I should thank you for bringing your suspicions to my attention," Verdot looked up, "_and _for finally calling me."

I grinned stupidly while Rod shifted uncomfortably.

"Thank you, sir," Rod mumbled.

"You're dismissed."

And with that, I was power-walking my way out of Tseng's office. Verdot's office. Whichever one _really _belonged in the darn thing. Somehow Rod, once again, made it in front of me and got out of the office before I did. That left me behind to catch Tseng's attention right after stepping into the hallway.

"Ms. Darnell!" Tseng called after me.

Dammit. "Hm?" I asked turning around.

"Do you really think that entire mission was a set-up?" Tseng asked, genuinely curious.

I paused for a moment, "Yes. Trust me, Rod's right. If you had seen that house, you would have turned right around and gone home. It was practically falling down."

Tseng frowned, "Then why did you go in the house?"

I had to think about that one for a minute. Why _had _I go in?

"Because Rod went in it. I just followed after him," I chuckled. "Now, why I decided to 'pluck the string like a guitar' I have no idea."

Tseng's eyebrow went up in confusion, "What?"

I shook my head, "Never mind. Just...if Rod says anything. Yes, I blew him up."

I turned and began to walk towards the elevators.

"Speaking of which, you might want to get those cuts looked at!" Tseng shouted after me.

"No, I'm good! Nothing a little water won't, geh!"

I nearly jumped backwards in shock when the elevator doors swung open. There was Zack waiting once again in the elevator―staring at me like I had lost my mind. I frowned at him, waved back to Tseng, and then stepped into the elevator. The doors closed and there was a brief silence as the elevator began to descend. Again, more uncomfortable silences.

"So," I eventually began, looking over at the boy, "you get chewed out for being late?"

"You too, huh?" Zack asked.

"One could say that," I replied. "More about blowing a mission then being late, but yeah. There was definitely chewing out."

A brief pause. Speaking of chewing.

"Lunch?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

He shrugged, "Sure. I've got nothing better to do today, anyway."

—**FFVII—**

"What the hell _is _that?" I asked as Zack and I stared at the strange, almost squirming substance the man was trying to pass off as food.

Zack was also making faces at the object, "I have no idea..." He muttered, "It's almost..._alive_."

The man at the food stall frowned at both of us.

"Look," he began, "if yer not gonna buy anything, then get away from my shop!"

I frowned at the man.

"Do you not have anything that's _not _still kickin'?" Zack asked.

The man grunted before violently twisting his little food cart around, then spun on his heels and wheeled away from us. For a moment, I had been almost certain that he was giving the sassiest walk he could manage. That was an amusing sight coming from a fat man in coveralls. I placed my hands on my hips defiantly.

"Fine, be that way!" I shouted after the man, "That just means more money for me!"

Zack looked back at me, his head cocked to the side, "Is that really a threat?"

I paused, "I'm not entirely sure, but it did make me feel better."

Zack's eyes flickered to a spot behind me and he immediately shifted his weight. Turning around I spotted Rude walking up behind me. I was shocked to see the dark-complected man by himself. Every other time I had met him, he was with Reno. It made me wonder what the mischievous red-head was up to.

"Saan," Rude greeted briefly.

"Rude," I replied in the same tone.

"I see you know one another," Zack interrupted briefly before adding, "Then again, that shouldn't be much of a surprise. Considering you're both Turks."

I smiled amusedly as Zack scratched the back of his head. I once again turned my attention back to Rude.

"Know any good places to have lunch at?" I asked.

It was hard telling what Rude's reaction was. The sunglasses he wore made it almost impossible to tell anything about the guy. But, the way the corner of his mouth turned down, I figured he was thinking. Either that or he was disappointed about something.

Rude leaned a little towards his right, and then nodded behind us. Zack and I both turned our heads to see what he was motioning towards. I frowned immediately. Rude had pointed out the man in the coveralls. The one Zack had so effortlessly chased off. Of course, I hadn't helped much with my comment, either. I slowly turned my head back around and stared at Rude.

"Something that won't bite me back?" I grumbled.

Rude was silent for another moment before shaking his head, "The only other places to get food are on the lower floors, or in restaurants around town."

I instantly deflated, as well as Zack. It was strange. I had only known the kid for a couple of hours, but I had already found myself taking a shine to him. He was cute and funny and undoubtedly full of energy. Too bad none of the Turks had the same personality. My life wouldn't have been nearly as boring or stressful if they had.

Sighing, I stood straight again, "Thanks anyway."

"No problem," Rude replied. "May I ask if you've seen Reno?"

I blinked. Ah-ha! So, Rude had not separated from Reno willingly. Or, maybe he had and the crafty red-head had just managed to sneak away from his follower before they were to meet back up. Whatever the case, I figured it best to help Rude out. After all, he had tried helping me out.

"He was downstairs when Rod and I pulled back in. He told me to go to Tseng's office, and after that he disappeared. I don't know where he's out now."

Rude frowned once more before bowing his head slightly, "Thank you."

He walked away from Zack and me, heading towards the direction of the elevators. I watched after him as he disappeared behind the closing doors. Zack turned around and looked at me, one eyebrow raised.

"Rod?" He asked, almost jokingly.

I shrugged, "Stupid, paranoid Turks. I'm the new chick, so most of them don't trust me. Not even enough to give me their names. I only know Tseng, Reno, Rude, and Verdot by name. And I only know those because they're big shots―What?"

Zack attempted to hide his smirk, but he was doing a poor job of it, "Tseng being called a big shot."

I frowned, "You know him?"

"You could say that," Zack replied, "I've met him a couple of times."

"He doesn't seem all that bad," I continued. "Maybe a little too serious at times. And what are you laughing at _now_?"

Zack's sword bobbed up and down as he chuckled, "Nothing. I just didn't think Turks thought the same way about him as everybody else does."

I frowned, "Yeah, well, they might not. Remember? I'm new. My opinion doesn't really count."

Zack's chuckling died down, but a smile remained on his lips, "What made you join the Turks anyway? It doesn't seem like it'd be that fun of a job."

Oh, boy. He wanted to know why I had become a Turk? I wondered if I should have told him or not. What would he have thought about a criminal working for the government? I tried desperately to change the subject; or, at least get it off of me.

"Why'd _you _join _SOLDIER_?" I grinned.

Zack beamed back, "To become a hero!"

I blinked. Then blinked again. He hadn't been serious, had he? No, his expression said it all. He had been dead serious. Dead serious and, unfortunately, completely naïve. My gaze shifted away from the aspiring teenager in front of me.

"Heh. If only our soldiers had been as admirable," I mumbled to myself.

"Huh?"

I shook my head, "Nothing. I'm afraid my intentions weren't as pure as yours. Then again, do you really think a Turk can become a hero?"

"You do have a point there," Zack replied before smirking, "But you still didn't answer my question."

"I got drafted," I replied. When Zack gave me a confused look, I continued, "A friend of mine and I broke into the Shin-Ra building. They caught us. No, that's not right. We gave ourselves in. After hearing our story about how we did it, the leader of the Turks was a little impressed by our achievements and gave us amnesty if we joined the group. Needless to say, my friend loved the idea. I just went with it."

"So, you did it unwillingly?" Zack asked. I was surprised that he hadn't judged me.

"Pretty much."

"Wow, no wonder you don't seem to like your job," Zack frowned.

"That obvious, huh?" I asked. Zack nodded.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I held up my finger to Zack, reached into my pocket, and pulled out my phone. I frowned. The number was one I didn't recognize. That was odd. Tseng had said only Turks were supposed to know each other's lines. Flipping open the phone, I put it up to my ear.

"Hel-lo?" I asked.

"Saan."

I stopped breathing. It was Verdot. I was going to have to remind myself to add his number later. That way, at least I wouldn't nearly have a heart attack whenever I answered my phone from then on.

"Yes, sir?" I asked hesitantly.

"Serafina has arranged to start training you tomorrow. You will also start your duties helping to guard the President's son, as well. Do you understand?"

I was silent for a moment. Who the hell was Serafina? Was that even her real name? And who was the President's son?

"Yes, sir. Understood. Every bit of it," I lied, my voice coming out high-pitched.

Verdot was silent for a moment before sighing, "You're a terrible liar."

"Only when I want to be, sir."

"Serafina will meet you first thing in the morning. After she's finished with you, she'll take you to Rufus. Can you handle that?"

"Pretty sure, sir."

"..."

"Yes, sir."

"Good," and with that, Verdot hung up.

I ended the call and very quickly added my boss' number into my contacts. No way was he going to surprise me like that again. Imagine what horrible things he could have heard if I had not been standing idly around with some kid I'd just met. Some of the conversations Ronnie and I had quickly flashed through my brain. That would have been an interesting topic to come into―disturbing yet interesting.

"Off to work again?" Zack asked curiously.

"Not quite. Just a daily schedule of what I have to do tomorrow," I blinked. "You do realize we've been standing here talking for about thirty minutes, right?"

Zack shrugged, "No problem. It seemed like you could use someone to talk to."

My eyes traveled up from my phone to the boy standing across from me. So, that was it, was it? Zack had taken it upon himself to become my shrink for the day. I narrowed my eyes at him. Zack jumped back a little and waved his hands in front of him.

"Not that that's a bad thing," he quickly began, "Everyone needs to let off a little steam now and again. Heck, Angeal lets me babble on and on all the time. Of course, then he manages to turn my words around and use them in some form of lecture."

Zack paused for a moment, a frown appearing on his face. So, Angeal and Zack seemed to work together after all. I snickered. I had a funny feeling that the sword on Zack's back wasn't there just because SOLDIERs were required to wield them. Zack probably was emulating his own personal hero. The boy noticed my smirk and his frown deepened.

"What?" He asked. I shook my head dismissively.

"You're an okay kid, Zack," I replied before walking towards the elevator doors.

"Stop calling me kid!" Zack called after me, "I'm not that much younger than you!"

I turned around at the doors. Zack was standing where I left him, his hands on hips. I cocked my head back.

"But you're still younger than me. I have all the right in the world to call you 'kid'," I ignored Zack's pout. "Now, do you want lunch, or not? These doors won't stay open all day."

I watched the boy for a moment while I stayed inside the elevators. His eyes were looking around the room, occasionally falling on me—trying to decide if he really did want to follow me or not. He quickly made up his mind and jogged after me. The doors began to shut just as he cleared them. I smiled.

"Glad to see you could join me," I said, leaning over to press the '2'.

—**FFVII—**

Much to my despair I was forced to go to work the next morning alone. Normally that wouldn't have bothered me. I was a big girl; I could take care of myself—most of the time. What bothered me was the fact that I was going to have to face Ledi alone. Normally, the secretary would only pester Ronnie and me a little bit before letting us get into the building. But, Ronnie wasn't with me.

Ronnie had come in late the night before and, as a consequence, had been sleeping peacefully on the couch when I went downstairs bright and early. He had left me a note and another little object he had found―once again from the trash cans around the science department―and told me to 'just try it.' The fact that he thought I would actually listen to him about the object made me question his intelligence. I still remembered the ring from the day before. Who knew what the next little doohickey could do?

Regardless, I still pocketed it before my journey to the Shin-Ra building. Sure enough, when I entered, Ledi was waiting for me at her desk. At least, that's what it felt like. Sometimes it felt like she was just put there to give me a bad mood in the mornings.

"I.D., please," the secretary demanded. Her voice might have come out sweet and innocent, but I could tell by her eyes that there was malicious intent hidden _somewhere_ in that tiny body of hers.

"You know," I replied as I took the piece of plastic out of my pocket and showed it to her, "one of these days you're going to keep me held up here and I'm going to miss something important. And you know what I'm going to tell my boss? That it was all your fault."

Ledi handed my I.D. back to me and gave me an uninterested stare, "With your reputation, I don't think I have to worry about anything." She sneered, "He wouldn't believe you."

My mouth twitched as I resisted punching the woman sitting at her desk. Instead, I settled for strangling my I.D. before placing it back in my pocket. I narrowed my eyes at the woman.

"If I didn't think I'd get in trouble, I'd shoot you," I growled.

Ledi's predatorial gaze never wavered, "What was that? Should I inform your boss that you're threatening fellow workers?"

Fellow workers? Pah! Woman, you are nothing but a lowly secretary, while _I_ on the other hand―

"Saan!"

I eventually tore my hardening gaze from Ledi and towards the woman who had just called my name. I was surprised to see the dark-haired Turk from the meeting. She must have been the one Verdot had sent to train me 'in the way of martial arts'. Taking the time to send one more glare in Ledi's direction, I walked briskly towards the woman.

"What was that about?" She asked as I reached her, though her tone of voice told me she couldn't have cared less.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Nothing. The secretary just seems to have something against me. Not entirely sure what, yet."

The Turk gave me a look. I chose to ignore it.

"So, what are we doing today?"

Her eyebrow rose, "Training, of course. Follow me."

And I did. I followed the woman to the elevators, up about thirty-some-odd floors, and into a place that looked oddly like a gym. I was relieved to see no one was around. That was good. I wouldn't get as embarrassed when she wiped the floor with me. Which, I had no doubt, that she would.

Usually, I was an optimistic person. At least, I _saw_ myself as an optimistic person. Sure, I said some things that could make a person believe otherwise; but, most of the time I had an 'I can do this' mentality. However, that did not apply to anything that demanded something of my body. Martial arts required stamina, strength, speed, and a lot more words that I knew did not apply to me.

The training given to me by the Air Force might have prepared me for all sorts of situations: dogfights, high g-forces, carrying a pack many miles, crawling up and over walls; and in a way those all gave me more stamina than the usual person. However, that brand of stamina was different. Just like milk chocolate and dark chocolate weren't exactly the same, either.

The Turk walked towards the center of the room, away from all the training equipment, and stood facing me. I stood facing her. She didn't wait very long to get started.

"How much do you know?" She asked.

"That Verdot said your name was Serafina, though I highly doubt that," I joked.

She frowned, "I meant about martial arts."

I didn't have to think very much about that one, "You kick; you punch; and, you run around your opponent. That's about it."

Serafina sighed. She rubbed her eyebrows while shaking her head.

"You have a long way to go."

"Tell me about it," I grumbled. "Why do you think I suggested this?"

Her eyes met mine, "What were you before becoming a Turk? What did your job require you to do?"

"I was a pilot. All I had to do was fly a plane," I replied. Of course, that was only the half of it.

"An airship or a plane?"

I blinked, "A plane. Nowhere near as big as an airship."

Not that I knew what airships were supposed to look like, or how big they were; but, ships were big, and if an airship was named for size, then it had to be pretty big, too. It didn't take much to figure out some of the things on Gaia. Like, Rocket Town, for instance.

Serafina frowned, "I guess that means you know nothing about defending yourself, except with weapons. Very well, come at me."

My brow furrowed as the woman got into a defensive stance. She couldn't be serious. Anyone in their right mind knew that one _never_ made the first move. It left him/her open, and the opponent could easily tell his/her strategy if not careful.

Then again, Serafina seemed to know what she was doing. If _she _attacked first, poor little ol' me would be put on the defensive. I was sure that I would never have been able to land a hit of any kind if that were the case. If anything, I'd have been forced into fetal position while I got the crap beat out of me. Maybe going first was a better choice for a beginner.

I shrugged and sprinted toward Serafina. She didn't falter. If I didn't want her to lash out when I approached, like I guessed she would, I would have to trick her. She would have to believe I was going to perform one maneuver when I was actually going to perform another. It seemed like a good idea.

As I approached, I shifted my weight towards my left. Serafina immediately corrected her stance. Ha! I couldn't help but grin as I punched with my right arm. Dumb move on my part.

I gasped as Serafina suddenly ducked underneath me. My arm went flying over her shoulder, and then next thing I knew, her shoulder was pressed into my stomach and I was going up-and-over. Painfully, my back slammed onto the ground. I gasped for air as I stared at the ceiling.

"You know more than you let on," Serafina's face appeared in my line of sight. "You tried to mislead me. Too bad for you, I figured it out your little trick."

I groaned as I rolled over, "Just because I'm smart, doesn't mean I know anything."

Serafina frowned as I got to my feet, "Isn't that a contradiction?"

"No," I breathed, "it means I'm ignorant, and that I only acted on common sense."

The Turk seemed to think about my words before getting into another defensive stance. She motioned with her hand for me to come at her. I frowned. I was only about two feet away from her. That was too close to try anything.

Backing up, I began to circle around her. I knew there was no way I was going to win the little spar; not when I was just a beginner. Maybe after a few more weeks of practicing, but definitely not right then. The only purpose the exercise had for me was to show me humiliation, and to allow Serafina to see what cards I held in my deck. I didn't have a good hand that was for sure.

I gritted my teeth and charged again. I might as well get the humiliation over with. This time I attempted to hit her with my open palm. I wasn't really aiming at anything, just hoping to hit _something_. But, once again, I was stopped.

Serafina grabbed a hold of my arm. I attempted to kick her, bringing my right leg up to meet her ribs, but she twisted around...which, in turn, caused me to flip through the air once more and end up crashing painfully onto the ground. She kept her hold on my wrist.

"Now you're just getting sloppy," she said matter-of-factly. "I'm not going to end today's lesson just because you already know what it's about. The only way to learn something, is to do it."

I growled. Pushing myself up a little with my left hand, I shot my legs out and attempted to trip her. I managed to surprise her a little, but she nimbly dodged my attack—jumping back to land safely a few feet away from me.

"Better," she smiled slightly, "but you still have a long way to go. I tell you what. If you can―!"

Serafina's eyes widened as I dove towards her. Enough talk, more fighting! The quicker I got my ass kicked, the quicker I could leave. Sure, she wasn't going to end the session, but she didn't say she wouldn't speed it up. Or, perhaps she did, and I had just cut her off in the middle of it. I didn't much care either way.

Due to our close proximity, she didn't have much time to dodge my third attack. I had aimed to hit her in her abdomen; however, she was still faster than I was, and I wound up latching onto her leg instead. I felt Serafina waver a little, but she didn't fall. Uh-oh.

I cried out when her other foot slammed into my back. She had held back, since we were just 'sparing,' but the impact still hurt. I thought about biting into her leg, but then thought better of it. That wouldn't be a very martial artsy thing to do. Not to mention all the germs that would end up in my mouth. Ew.

My eyes widened as I felt her grab a hold of the back of my jacket. Oh, no. She was going to throw me! I don't know how she managed to do it, but with a cry, she lifted me off the ground, spun, and flung me across the room. That time I managed to land on my ass instead of my back. Unfortunately, I landed right on the object Ronnie had given me.

"Gah!" I yelped as tiny shards poked me through my pocket.

Serafina looked at me strangely as I quickly flipped myself over and shoved my hand into my back pocket. What I pulled out was a shattered mass of...something. I stared at the thing with my mouth open.

Oops. Ronnie had given it to me to try out. Granted, I was never going to do that, but still. He was going to blame me for ruining it. Dammit, I just couldn't win!

"You shouldn't have put something breakable in your pocket like that," Serafina was frowning. "What if that had been a knife?"

I stared, distraught, at the object in my hand, "If I had known it could break, I wouldn't have put it there. Believe me. I didn't even know what the hell it was in the first place."

Serafina was silent for a moment as I continued to stare at the blue metal. When I started to twirl it (what was left of it) around curiously, she finally got tired of my foolery.

"Knock that off and come on! I don't have all day! Just throw it away," she snapped.

I blinked and slowly looked up from the destroyed, blue thing. She didn't have all day? That meant she probably had another mission to do. I felt the corners of my lips starting to rise and had to quickly bring them back down. So, there _was_ a way to get out of the training session after all.

I sighed loudly, "Unfortunately, neither do I."

Serafina frowned, "What?"

"I don't have all day," I gave her a pitiful look. "I've been assigned to bodyguard duty. Didn't Verdot tell you?"

"Yes, but that can wait. You still—."

"Guarding the President's son can wait?" I asked, feigning shock.

The Turk's eyes widened a little. She frowned, crossed her arms, and looked away. She mumbled something. I wasn't entirely sure what she had said, but it sounded a lot like, 'Boy, do I feel sorry for you.'

"What was that?" I couldn't help asking.

"Nothing," she said quickly. "Fine, go if you have to. But, after your shift ends, we continue."

"Shift?" I asked.

Serafina smirked, "You didn't think you'd get away from me that easily, did you?"

I slouched in defeat, "I had hoped."

"You're contradicting yourself again."

"Oh?"

"You wanted to train to get better, and yet now, you're trying to get out of it," Serafina put her hands on her hips. "You're just one, big, walking contradiction."

I pouted, "I didn't suggest to get my ass kicked, I suggested to get trained. Maybe beating some people up can teach them how to fight, but I'm not one of them. The only thing I've learned so far is not to shove shit in my back pocket if I'm going to be landing on it. An instructional video can teach me more than that."

Serafina was giving me a hard stare.

"Look," I continued, "I'm not saying you're a bad teacher or anything. Just... Change your methods. I think it'd benefit both of us."

I didn't give her time to answer. I picked myself off the floor, exited the room and walked towards the elevators. Stopping in front of them, I realized I had no idea where the hell to find Rufus or when I was even supposed to start guard duty. The excuse was perfect, but it was probably given too early. I sighed and held up my right hand, the broken thing Ronnie had given me glistening within it.

"I don't suppose you know anything," I mumbled.

Much to my surprise, the object responded to my voice. I yelped and dropped it onto the floor. It wriggled around a bit before smoke started to pour out of it. Sparks shot out, and soon, it stopped twitching. I stared at the object before squishing it below my boot.

After a moment or two, I moved my foot to the side. Ronnie could be angry with me all he wanted to, but that thing was _not_ going to harm me in anyway. Bending down, I carefully picked the thing up between my thumb and forefinger.

"Let's see you try something now," I mumbled. Nothing happened.

Satisfied that whatever it was was indeed dead, I placed it back in my back pocket and pulled my phone out of my front. Who would have known where Rufus was? The president was high up on the company's ladder, obviously, so his son had to be, too. It stood to reason that those higher up in command would know one another. So, naturally, Verdot would know where the boy was at.

However, I was _not_ calling Verdot. No siree, Bob. I'd rather have got beaten by Serafina before I called that man. Who else in the Turks would have known of Rufus' location? That didn't take much time to figure out. I pressed '2' on the keypad and waited for the person to pick up. Three rings later, they did.

"Hello?"

"Tseng. Do you know where Rufus is at?"

—**FFVII—**

Well, wouldn't you know it? Rufus was located above floor fifty-nine. During my time working for Shin-Ra, I had discovered that the higher up one went in the building, the more important/secret the work one did was. That made sense. If I wasn't mistaken, the President was located on the top floor. Well, he could have it. I hated being in skyscrapers; the thought of being on the top floor of one gave me chills.

The significance of Rufus' location had nothing to do with how far off the ground he was. No, it had to do with the damn elevators required to get there. They were made of glass. I had only been in them once before, and I never wanted to step foot in them ever again. And, it wasn't just that they were made of glass...They were located on the _outside_ of the building. Saan no likey.

So, there I stood, on the fifty-ninth floor, glaring at the closed elevator doors. To enter, or not to enter, that was the question. I was leaning more towards not entering. The thought briefly occurred to me that I could take the stairs on the inside of the building just to avoid them; but, then I remembered all the card keys the guard that had arrested me used and figured I wouldn't make it far with that scheme.

Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I walked towards the elevators. They didn't open. I blinked. Huzzah! Fate didn't even want me to go into them. Guess I wasn't meeting Rufus, after all.

I deflated when I noticed the card key slot. Dammit it all to hell anyway! Grumbling, I took out my I.D. badge and swiped it roughly through the slot. I wasn't sure if my card could open the elevator doors, but it was the only thing I had on me that resembled a card key. Amazingly, the slot beeped at me and the doors swished open. It seemed my worries were for nothing.

Quickly, I stepped into the elevator and pressed the floor Rufus was supposed to be on. The entire elevator ride I faced the doors. I refused to look behind me. Behind me was the moving ground and buildings of Midgar. Behind me was a nervous breakdown waiting to happen. I was to be the bodyguard of the President's son. I should not show signs of weakness.

One elevator ride and a few twists and turns in a hallway later, I was standing outside Rufus' office. Without hesitating, I lowered the door handle and walked in. I should have knocked.

All eyes were on me. Two Turks I had never seen before were in the room, along with Rufus. My embarrassment for becoming the object of attention in the room quickly faded when my eyes met Rufus'. My first thought was 'Nazi'. Call it stereotypical if you want, but the blond hair, blue eyes, and haircut all screamed '_Heil Hitler!_' to me. The white outfit wasn't helping his case none.

Everyone in the room was silent for all of two seconds before Rufus finally decided that my stare was getting a little bit creepy.

"And you are?"

I snapped out of my thoughts, "Your new bodyguard."

Rufus' expression quickly became sour. He didn't much like that idea that was obvious. His eyes traveled from one of the Turks to the other before he dismissed them with a wave of his hand. They both nodded and filed out of the room, taking the time to give me a look I couldn't quite describe. I figured they didn't much like me, either.

"What is it with the Turks," Rufus spoke firmly as he got out of his chair and paced around the room. "They seem to think I need constant supervision all the time these days."

I frowned. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I could tell right away that he was suspicious of me. If I didn't know better, I would have thought he was blaming _me_ for that little fact. Actually, I was certain he was. Apparently, since all the Turks wore suits, to him, we were all the same. I knew I wasn't going to like the kid.

"Well, I wouldn't know much about that, _sir._"

Rufus immediately caught the sarcasm tagged onto the end of my sentence and wasted no time in trying to intimidate me with a hard stare. It didn't work.

"What with me being new to the Turks and everything," I continued.

Rufus' expression changed, but not by much. Everything the boy had done before then―every movement; every word; every expression―all described his character in some way. His definition: Stuck-up brat.

The way his white clothes were pristine and without a smudge of dirt anywhere. The way his hair looked like not a single strand had _ever_ been out of place. They all screamed 'pampered child.' I knew, without a doubt, that the boy had been bred in the image of his father, which meant I was most likely dealing with a young megalomaniac. Oh, joy.

"Heh," Rufus smiled, the expression anything but jovial, "then I guess they're slacking off."

Oooh. It'd only been my first, what, three minutes and he was already trying to show me who was boss? Even resorting to _personal jabs_? Talk about heartless bastard.

"Or they just don't see you much of a threat, either one," I shot back, my smile the exact mirror image of his own.

The smile dropped off his face in a heartbeat. Yeah, take that, little man. I could be just as cold and calculating as you.

Rufus didn't comment right away, and instead chose to walk over to one of the windows in his office and look at the street below. I found it amusing that he shared that same trait with Tseng.

"So," Rufus began conversationally, as if the 'argument' before had never taken place, "I take it you're one of the two Turks from the Kalm mission?"

I frowned, "How do you know about that? Did Verdot tell you?"

Rufus turned back to face me, that damn smile back on his face, "I'm the Vice President, why wouldn't I know what the Turks are up to?"

My eyes widened a little. The little _brat_ was the Vice President of Shin-Ra? He couldn't have been more than sixteen-years-old! Shin-Ra obviously had to be a family run business, because no one in their right mind would let someone so young take part in a company of Shin-Ra's size.

"Besides," Rufus continued, "the evidence is written all over your face."

Geh! I had forgotten that my face was basically riddled with little cuts caused by the glass from the explosion. Asshole. Why'd he have to go and bring that up? I sighed.

"Look, how long are we going to do this?" I asked.

I was shocked to see Rufus' eyebrows crease in confusion, "I beg your pardon?"

"_This_," I repeated, motioning with my hands. "The whole verbal spat thing. It's obvious you don't want a babysitter—"

"I thought you said you were a bodyguard."

"—and it's obvious I don't want to _be_ the babysitter. So, why do we have to keep going at each other like three-year-olds? It's only going to wear both of us out—"

Rufus gave me a doubtful look.

"—and I'd like to return home with enough energy and patience to wash the clothes that are piling up in the utility room."

Rufus was silent for a moment as he and I continued to stare at one another. I tried to keep my face blank so as to show him I was, indeed, serious about ceasing the stupid quarrel that was arising between us. Yes, I loved a verbal war every once in a while, but not every damn day. And I _knew_ that's where he and I were headed if I didn't try to stop it. I didn't really give a flip about Rufus' job performance, but I knew mine would take a nose dive if I went to work every day thinking, 'Great, I have to put up with that snot-nosed brat, _again_.'

"You're not what I expected," Rufus finally said, taking a seat in his chair once again. He lazily propped his feet onto the table.

"Oh, well, thank you-"

"You're a lot more entertaining than I originally thought."

I paused and decided to let that one go, "Well, I'm afraid I can't juggle, if that's what you were going to request next."

Rufus actually chuckled at that one.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Saan."

"Well, _Saan_, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. One I think you'll find very interesting, if not amusing," there was that damn smile again.

"This is one of those, 'Talk and you'll be sorry' secrets, isn't it?" I asked.

"Actually, I'll have you killed," Rufus replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh-ho, yay. Why you feel the need to tell your bodyguard something so potentially dangerous, I have no idea, but go ahead if you feel you must."

"Why, thank you, I do believe I will. You see, Saan, the person who sent you and Rod out to that house in Kalm was none other than myself," Rufus' smile faded, "I had hoped that since you two were relatively new that you'd be stupid enough to blow yourselves up by that blast. It seems I was only partially right. You even managed to take out the AVALANCHE members that were hiding around. I have to say I'm quite impressed with your performance.

"I have no doubt that you'll be able to hold off anybody that attempts to attack me, but I _don't_ need your protection. I can take care of myself."

The room once again lapsed into silence as Rufus stared hard at me. My face was an emotionless mask.

"You're not upset?" Rufus asked, clearly surprised when I didn't shoot him or start screaming at him.

I shrugged, "Not really. It's all in the past now. I'm just glad I know who set us up, and that it was _indeed_ a set-up. I don't really give a damn why you did it, or why you're in cohorts with AVALANCHE―_if_ you are. Nor do I care what that means in the grand scheme of things. It's none of my business, really. Shin-Ra just gives me a paycheck every week that I work and that's all I care about. I just want to point out one thing, _sir._"

Rufus' eyebrow went up in amusement, "Oh? And what's that?"

I leaned forward and placed my hands on Rufus' desk, "_You failed_."

I smirked as, once again, Rufus' smile disappeared from his face. He had tried to off a few Turks, and he'd failed. The great son of the President of the great Shin-Ra had failed in something as trivial as that. Boy that had to hurt his ego. More so than it hurt me to find out I was nearly a sacrifice for the kid's crazy schemes.

"Touché," Rufus eventually answered. "You know, you'd be a very good politician if you wanted to be."

"Too bad I hate politics," I replied.

Rufus took his feet off his desk, settling for sitting like a normal person. He reached into a desk drawer and tossed something at me. I managed to catch it before it beamed me in-between the eyes. It was a card key.

"That will give you access to the staircases between this floor and floor fifty-nine," he said as he shut the drawer, "along with most of the doors on those levels. Just don't do anything that will get you in trouble."

I raised a brow, "And you're giving this to me _because_?"

"Because I don't want you hanging around in my office," Rufus replied.

I snickered, "But, sir. Then I won't be doing my job."

"I thought you said you didn't want to babysit?"

"I don't. But my paycheck demands it."

Rufus and I stared at one another for what felt like the fiftieth time.

"Fine. Go get me coffee," Rufus smiled.

I twitched. Asshole. I spun on my heels and exited the room, grumbling the whole time. I had gone from bad ass Turk to secretary in the blink of an eye. Well, two could play that game, Rufus. You failed to tell me _exactly_ how you like your coffee. I smirked to myself as I slid the card key into the slot for the stairs. Pay back was gonna be a bitch.

**A/N: Nope. Whoever requested action in this chapter, ya didn't get it. I'm sorry. Maybe the next go around. The part with Rufus I wasn't even planning on until one-fourth of the way through the chapter when the thought came to me. I was planning on the bodyguard thing, though. Just, not with Rufus. -shifty eyes- And, ZOMG, Zack! I know. It's amazing.**

**Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to begin chapter ten. Maybe read some of **_**Little Brother**_**. I'm going to definitely avoid my art final. It's not due till Tuesday, anyway. I have all day tomorrow.**

_**Edit: "Buy jovial." Yes… "By jove, I think he's got it!" It's 8:41 in the morning, dear God, why does my life demand I get up so early? I changed some of the dialogue closer to the end—added a few sentences—so that my motives for the conversation was made a little clearer and also more natural.**_


	10. A Trip To Junon

_**Edited on 6 Oct 2010 for errors and goofs. And…I don't have an A/N on this chapter saved on my computer so I have no idea what the hell I talked about…it's like shooting blind. Goofs are about to be horribly mutilated since this is where I started fucking up the timeline. Lawls.**_

Two words: Dark Nation. At first I thought it was a pathetic name for some terrorist organization―beating AVALANCHE by far. But, no. I was only half right. Dark Nation definitely caused fear in the hearts of man (or in this case a woman), but it had nothing to do with an organization of any kind.

Dark Nation was the name of Rufus' cat. Dog. Panther. I didn't know what the hell kind of creature it was. Whatever its species, it gave me more trouble than the Vice President could have ever dreamed of doing. And that was saying something.

The animal prevented me from ever getting near the Vice President when his back was turned and, when it wasn't, I was always forced to do every mediocre task imaginable that would keep me away from him. Every mediocre task _except_ get his coffee.

Rufus had learned his lesson pretty quick when I returned to him with a coffee cup full of coffee and _expired_ milk instead of good-ol'-not-expired milk. If you don't understand the significance of that, expired milk causes one to frequent the bathroom. It had been amusing discovering what strange things they had in the fridge downstairs. However, I did get screamed at by Rufus _and _Verdot―Tseng even took the time to frown at me―but it had been well worth it.

As for Dark Nation and I, our relationship had started rough the first day I met the cat. It began with simple staring. From staring we moved onto glaring, to making guttural noises at one another, to Dark Nation trying to chew my arm off while I tried to gouge out its eyes with my free hand.

This relationship continued for the week I spent watching after Rufus. Only once had the kid walked in on one of our little 'love spats'. Instead of save me from his evil pet, he settled with quirking a brow at my expense, walked to his desk, and told me, "I think she likes you." The sarcasm had not escaped me; I sabotaged his paper shredder in retaliation. It made interesting noises trying to digest that CD...

Other than babysitting Rufus and being his pet's personal chew toy, I continued my training with Serafina. As I did, I got substantially better in whatever style martial arts she knew (it focused more on kicking); but, there were also times when I got my bum handed to me on a silver platter.

Speaking of bums. The object I had accidentally crushed when I fought Serafina the first time...

Well, I _had_ to tell Ronnie of its fate. He wasn't all too happy with me. It seemed that he _hadn't_ found it in the garbage bins after all, and, in fact, had made it from scratch. Boy, did that make me feel bad; and yet, curious at the same time.

Ronnie was good at arts and crafts—always had been. However, I didn't think that would make him good at making weapons. But, somehow, the little cracker started creating them in his spare time―which was often, given his desk job―and all of them were based on the ring he had found.

Also, all of them were relatively tiny. The biggest he had ever managed to go was the size of a bracelet. It didn't do anything because he hadn't quite figured out what made the metal expand and contract, but at least he was getting somewhere. When I asked him where he was getting said mysterious metal, he gave me that grin of his and refused to answer. Trash cans immediately came to mind.

In the time period when I wasn't getting pummeled by my 'Master,' or getting nibbled on by Dark Nation, I spent my time at the house practicing my martial arts and firing away with my Thunder Materia. Ronnie and the neighbors both learned to hate me very quickly.

Ronnie always wound up being the victim of circumstance. In other words, I used him as a punching bag. The first day I tried that, I met Ronnie at the bottom of the stairs.

"What?" He asked innocently. I kept grinning.

He gave me a look before shrugging and tried to walk past me. I didn't let him.

"Losersayswhat!"

"Huh? _Waaah_!"_ Thud!_

In the blink of an eye, I had grabbed him around the waist and flipped him over my shoulder. It was harder than it looked considering Ronnie weighed a lot more than I did. He wasn't too pleased with my actions and screamed at me, calling me all sorts of names that had to do with my intelligence level. Finally, when I told him _why_ I had spontaneously thrown him to the ground, he responded with:

"Well, why didn't you say something?"

"I did, I said 'loser says what'."

Blank stare.

No, it didn't make much sense. But nothing did that day. I bought a coffee pot the day before and drank three cups of coffee that morning to make up for all the days I had missed―which was way more than three, I might add. To say I was buzzed was an understatement.

As for the Thunder training... The only place to practice _any_ kind of magic is outdoors, or in a big ass room where you're _sure_ you won't hit anything. Our house was tiny, so outside was immediately where I went. Bad move on my part. Sure, outside was roomy...but most of the buildings around me were also made of metal.

On the plus side, when I accidentally shocked the rod on the top of our building, I fixed the TV. On the negative, the electricity arced and shocked all the other rods on the buildings beside us, effectively frying all their TVs. Shin-Ra got a lot of complaints that day, and I got a major deduction out of my paycheck. Also, Reno wouldn't let me live it down and I went from Stairmaster to Shocky.

Aside from nearly frying every electrical appliance on our block, another strange thing happened with my Thunder experiments. The Materia 'grew.' That's how Ronnie explained it when I ran into the kitchen freaking out about how I must have overloaded the tiny rock. He said that, when Materia reach a certain level brought on by continuous use in battle, they leveled up. So, in essence, instead of Thunder, I now had Thundara.

I asked him why it was called 'Thundara' and he told me he had no clue. Why not just call it 'Thunder2'? That made a lot more sense than using some obscure suffix. Luckily, even though it was called a different name, the rock still answered to 'Thunder'. Sometimes it didn't even answer to that. That made me happy; it meant I was getting better at using magic.

Zack had mysteriously disappeared from the Shin-Ra building. Everyone I asked said that he always had to do missions since some of the SOLDIERs had defected. That was a major bummer. I had wanted to ask him to fight me since I was becoming better at both magic and martial arts, but it must not have been meant to be. Some part of me was a little relieved. I was pretty sure that he would kick my ass, regardless.

But, enough of the past. Time moves on, and so must I. Just like Zack had his missions to do, so did I; and, my next big mission was about to take place. That day. With Rufus. Yay...

"Do we have everything?" Ronnie gasped as he threw his bags onto the floor.

I stared at the heavy suitcases before glancing up at him. By some odd twist of fate, Ronnie had also been assigned on the coming-up mission. Perhaps they needed a 'desk job' type person to handle the paperwork in Junon? Tseng and, unfortunately, Dark Nation were also to be attending our little outing.

Junon, to the best of my knowledge, was another city that was heavily operated by Shin-Ra and was located by the sea. It was also where Rufus was stationed. After I found that out, I asked why he was spending so much time in Midgar. He never answered me. Then again, he never really told me anything to begin with. Why I thought he would tell me that, I didn't know.

"I don't think you need all that," I mumbled. I, myself, had settled for only my cell phone, wallet, and pistol―unloaded, as usual.

"Of course I will!" Ronnie replied, "There's shampoo, and conditioner, and a swim suit-"

"I don't think it's that kind of—"

'—and an extra change of clothes—"

"You only need you're—"

"—and that bracelet I've been working on—"

"Ronnie!" I shouted.

He finally stopped talking and looked at me, his finger poised over another as he was about to tick it off his list.

"Ya don't need it," I reiterated. Ronnie gave me a long, hard look before finally sighing.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right. I'm always right," I paused as Ronnie gave me a doubtful look, "Mostly, always right. Anyways, come on. We don't wanna be late."

Ronnie groaned in response before he started digging into his suitcase once again; this time searching for his _essential_ essentials. I waited for him by the door, leaning and banging my head against it. Seriously, could he have been any slower?

"How do you figure we're going to be late," Ronnie asked as he removed the bracelet, about to pocket it.

"You don't need that," I snapped.

He frowned, but put it off to the side anyway, "We're thirty minutes early."

"You've never been around Rufus before, have ya?" I asked rhetorically. I already knew the answer to that question. Nobody ever got near Rufus unless Rufus wanted them to. And that was pretty much never.

"No, I've never been around your boyfriend."

Narrowing my eyes at Ronnie, I growled, "I. Will. Stab. You."

Ronnie smirked and stood up. The only things accompanying him were his phone and pistol. His face became serious as he started for the door. I moved aside to let him through.

"Seriously, though," He began, "You need to settle down and—"

"_Stab-buh_," I warned, shutting the front door behind me. Ronnie dropped the subject.

When we arrived at the Shin-Ra building Tseng was standing outside conversing with one of the army guys. I had learned that Shin-Ra not only had SOLDIER―the elite group of fighters―but also an army―the little weaklings that couldn't get up into the big leagues. If you asked me, what with the Turks, SOLDIER, and army, Shin-Ra was trying to overcompensate for something. That, or rule the world. Both were extremely plausible.

Tseng noticed us approaching, nodded to the soldier he was talking to, and walked over to us.

"Rufus is waiting for us at the heliport," noticing Ronnie's and my blank expressions, he quickly added, "on floor seventy."

"You mean...We're going to have to go all the way to the top of that thing?" I mumbled quietly, leaning my head back to once again peer at the top of the imposing skyscraper.

Ronnie's question drowned out mine, "So soon? But, I didn't think we had to leave until ten!"

I lowered my eyes to Tseng. I smirked. The look he was giving Ronnie was priceless. It was a cross between pity and doubt. Pity because Ronnie had no idea what awaited him, and doubt that he worked with someone so clueless.

"We leave when the Vice President says we leave, Mr. Roberts, and he says we leave _immediately_," Tseng turned on his heels and strode off towards the building. "And, Saan, I thought you were a pilot. Why do you seem so hesitant with heights?"

I frowned as Ronnie snickered and walked passed me towards the glass doors. It was a damn good thing I knew Tseng was teasing me, or I would have been very angry. Jogging, I caught up to them and squeezed through the doors―Ronnie and I were wider than I thought.

"Wait a minute," Ronnie whispered. "Since when did he start calling you by your first name?"

I blinked, "You know... I don't know."

"Good morning, sir!"

Ronnie and I both cringed as Ledi's chipper voice greeted Tseng. He gave a brief nod to the secretary and continued on without a falter in his step. Ledi smiled the whole time she watched him pass, but as soon as she looked at us, her expression changed...drastically.

"Turks," She growled.

"Ledi," we replied, with just as more scorn as she.

The elevator ride to the fifty-ninth floor seemed shorter than it had all the other hundreds of times I had taken it. It wasn't because I was jumping with anticipation for a decent assignment, or a chance to get out of Midgar. No, it was because after that short elevator ride came another, way shorter elevator ride...On an elevator made of glass...That was located on the outside of the building. I _hated_ the man who came up with the Shin-Ra Building's bloody design.

Up until that day I had managed to avoid the glass elevators by using the card key Rufus had given me. He hadn't been joking when he said I could go _anywhere_ between floor fifty-nine and sixty-nine. Granted, I couldn't open a few doors here and there, and I barely ventured far from the staircases, but still. He had put a lot of faith in me by giving me that card key. Then again, he _had_ threatened to kill me. Maybe he just thought I wouldn't do something stupid enough to get myself killed.

Out of one set of elevators and into another. Once again, I refused to look down at the ground below. Tseng could joke all he wanted to about my fear of heights when I flew planes for a living; I was not looking down. However, it proved difficult. Since the elevator was somewhat small, Ronnie was on the glass, me in the middle, and Tseng was up against the doors.

Ronnie started moving about not long into the ride. Slowly, I tore my eyes off the doors and focused on Tseng. He was looking at Ronnie with a frown on his face. A thoughtful frown, but a frown nonetheless. I turned my head just enough to see Ronnie out of the corner of my eye. He was whiter than a hotel's brand new bed sheets.

"Dude," I said, "don't look down."

"Hard not to," Ronnie stuttered. "Can't I just jump out?"

"You'd die," Tseng replied nonchalantly.

I yelped as Ronnie pushed into me, trying to back away from the glass. Luckily, before I could go bumping into Tseng, the doors slid open at the next floor. From then on, it was a combination of stairs and the glass elevator until we reached the top floor. The top floor was the office of President Shin-Ra himself. I had only seen him in passing a couple of times while babysitting Rufus. He was a fat man with blond hair. It was obvious where Rufus got his looks from.

The old man wasn't in his office as Tseng, Ronnie, and I passed through. In fact, there was no one in his office. I frowned. More than likely, that was Rufus' doing. The Vice President was a sneaky little bastard, I gave him that. Though, I had to admit, it would be a little difficult hiding a helicopter take-off. I was pretty sure it couldn't be done. Not literally, anyway. Paper work, on the other hand...

Waiting outside on the heliport were Rufus, Dark Nation, Reno and Rude. I snorted. It seemed like those two never got a break, either. Everyone's attention immediately turned towards the approaching Turks: Us. Rufus was frowning.

"You're late," he said.

"Sorry, sir. We got held up at the front," Tseng replied as we continued towards the waiting helicopter.

Reno and Rude took their places in the cockpit. That scared me a little. I hadn't figured Reno was the type to fly.

As Ronnie and I approached the cabin, Dark Nation bounded its way into the aircraft. We paused, the creature practically glaring at us from its perch in one of the seats. There was a brief staring contest between Ronnie, Dark Nation, and me—me with one foot in the cabin—while Tseng and Rufus discussed something.

"What are you waiting for?" Rufus finally snapped.

"Your damn cat's in our way!" I snapped back.

Uncomfortable silence. I took the chance to look at everybody. Reno and Rude were turned around in the cockpit, both giving me surprised expressions; Ronnie's eyes were wide in that 'oh, shit' kind of way; and Tseng was standing behind me with a similar expression, but he was probably thinking in a not-so-explicit way. Slowly, I turned my head even more to see Rufus.

He was glaring at me. Rarely had I ever seen that expression on his face. For a second, I was actually worried he would do something to me. For a second...

"Sir?" I added, trying to save my ass. When in doubt, use formalities!

"Get. In. The. Helicopter," he growled in response. Of course, Rufus didn't really growl. That was not appropriate for someone like him. But, it was close enough.

I didn't have to think twice about that order because Ronnie practically shoved me in and I almost collided with Dark Nation. The animal gave me short snarl. I ignored it as I shoved my way into the seat on the farthest side of the cabin—Dark Nation pressed uncomfortably into my side—and buckled up. Ronnie took the seat beside me; Rufus the seat across from me.

He and I shared a look as Tseng slid the door shut and sat beside the Vice President.

I mused at the silent conversation we were having.

"_You almost made me look like a fool in front of mah people!"_ Rufus' look screamed.

"_Well, maybe your cat shouldn't have been in the way! Who the hell takes a pet to a meeting?"_

Rufus' eyes narrowed as the helicopter began to rise from the heliport. I couldn't quite determine what _that_ look meant, but figured it was not a happy one. So, my response was:

_"Don't take that tone with me, young man!_"

The eyes stayed narrowed.

"_...Sir."_

I looked away at that point and decided that the scenery outside was a lot more interesting than Rufus' face. That and I knew I was already pressing my luck. As my dad always said, 'Stop poking the bear.'

—**FFVII—**

The helicopter ride to Junon was uncannily quiet, in my opinion. Reno and Rude shared a brief conversation with Tseng about some previous mission. Ronnie tried to make small talk with Rufus, but when the young man gave him that stare of his, Ronnie quickly shut up. Dark Nation growled at me a couple of times when I tried to move around in my seat—my butt was getting numb—but, after the third or fourth time, we both came to the consensus that there just wasn't enough room to be pissed off at one another.

For whatever reason, Rufus decided to open one of the small windows in our cabin about ten minutes from Junon. That took care of the silence problem, what with the wind blowing everywhere, but it caused another one. Rufus' hair hardly moved unless he wanted it to; kind of like his pawns, actually. Mine, on the other hand... Mine became airborne with only the smallest amount of wind.

So, there I sat, glaring at the smirking Rufus as I held my hair back with my right hand. If only I had not forgotten my ponytail holder at Bill's farm way back when. On more than one occasion, I flashed Tseng a sympathy look. He didn't catch the hint. His hair was shorter than mine. It did not need that damn ponytail holder. Mine did.

The sound of the wind was momentarily drowned out when Ronnie suddenly yelped. All eyes turned towards him as he fidgeted around in his seat, digging for something in his pocket. The next thing I knew, Ronnie's cell phone had leapt from his left hand and made a bee-line for the floor.

Tseng's reaction time was faster than mine, and yet, that still didn't stop me from trying to grab the mobile device after I had already seen him make a move for it. Tseng and I jerked back from one another as our heads nearly collided with one another. He had somehow managed to get his hand on the phone, and it spun in the air while traveling back for the floor. Ronnie dived for it next, accidently shoving me into Dark Nation. Dark Nation growled, nipping at my elbow to get me off. Afraid to lose an arm, I bounced back into Ronnie to avoid the animal and Ronnie's phone went into the air again—straight towards Rufus.

It was amazing the way the kid snatched the phone out of the air and, in one fluid motion, chucked it out the window. Ronnie, Tseng, and I all froze momentarily as we stared out the window. Tseng and I slowly turned our heads to face Rufus.

"Uh..." Tseng began. He didn't continue. I don't think he knew exactly what to say.

"Was that _really_ necessary?" I asked.

"My new phone..." Ronnie's whimpering voice interrupted. "My baby..."

Rufus was frowning, "Next time, _he'll_ be going out the window."

"_Who'll_ be going out the window?" Ronnie shouted.

I twitched and quickly slammed my foot down on top of Ronnie's causing him to yelp. One must never yell at one's superiors, lest bad things happen. I mean, sure, I did it sometimes; but, I was a girl. Some part of my brain said that Rufus was gentlemanly enough not to harm someone of the fairer sex. Sure, that was complete bullshit, but Ronnie still was not a woman and therefore probably _would_ get thrown out of the helicopter while we were still in the air.

Ronnie shut up once more, pouted, and stared longingly out the window. I could tell he was probably wondering about how many pieces his phone was in. I hadn't even known he had bought a new phone, let alone given anyone its number. _I_ obviously didn't know the number. I frowned and then started thinking just who Ronnie was giving his number to.

"How much longer until we get there?" I called out to the cockpit. Anything to make Rufus stop staring.

"We still have enough time left to throw Ronnie out of the helicopter," Reno shouted back. It was obvious he was joking.

"Oh, well in that case," Rufus smirked and let the threat hang.

"No. You're not," I frowned.

Rufus gave me a look before turning his attention towards the window again.

When we made touchdown in Junon, to say I was impressed was an understatement. The view was spectacular. On one side of the heliport, the ocean stretched out as far as the eye could see. Behind it, buildings stretched out and up the cliff. Both of those sights were vastly greater than what was attached to the cliff wall.

A giant, and I mean _giant_, canon stood anchored to the wall and pointed out across the ocean. Seriously, what was up with that? It was beyond ridiculous.

"Oh, they are _definitely_ overcompensating for something," I mumbled to myself.

Ronnie and Tseng had already gotten out of the helicopter. Rufus and Dark Nation were bringing up the rear.

"Did you say something?" Tseng asked. Luckily for me, the backdraft caused by the helicopter blades drowned out my previous statement.

"Yeah," I said a little louder, "what the hell is up with the canon?"

"The Mako Canon was put here to keep any attack from sea almost an impossibility."

I scoffed, "That doesn't keep them from attacking."

"Would _you_ attack Junon if you knew you risked an attack by a weapon of that size?" Tseng asked.

"No," I replied, cocking my head back to look at him. "But that's _if_ I think that thing can hit me. A canon that big would take a long time to power up, and it's obvious it has a limited targeting area. All it would take was—"

"I wanna name it!" Ronnie suddenly shouted.

Tseng and I both turned and looked at Ronnie. He was almost bouncing on the balls of his feet as he stared up at the giant canon that loomed nearby. Ronnie had an odd habit of wanting to name inanimate objects. His old phone, for instance, was named Rebecca. Don't ask me; I don't know. He'd also named his _Playstation 3, PSP, DS, _laptop and car. What was worse: He expected me to remember their names.

After a second or two of silence I replied, "No."

"Oh, come on! It could be—"

"It doesn't need a name," Tseng interrupted. He probably didn't want to know what strange thing Ronnie could come up with, either. I knew I didn't.

"Do I pay you to stand around and chit-chat all day?" Rufus shouted.

Somehow, the little devil and his cat had made their way passed all us Turks and were standing near the door into the main building. One would think that Rufus' suit would be just blindingly white enough in the sun that we _couldn't_ have missed him. Then again, perhaps if we had been paying attention to the Vice President instead of gawking at an over-sized canon...

"I thought your old man paid us," I snickered as I shouted back, walking toward the blond boy.

Rufus barked out a laugh, ignored my comment, and stepped through the door.

"I don't think he likes his father that much," Ronnie mumbled from somewhere behind Tseng.

"I don't think he much likes anybody," I replied.

—**FFVII—**

And I thought traveling around the Shin-Ra building with Rufus was hell. Traveling around Junon with him was worse. We weren't allowed to go anywhere. Tseng, Ronnie, and I spent hours walking with him to and from different offices in the 'giant canon building'—as Ronnie and I had so lovingly deemed it—and when we weren't doing that, we were sitting outside some other kind of building waiting for Rufus to get out. The boy had given us express orders _not_ to bother him while he 'worked.'

While we waited outside a small, two-story building, Ronnie and I tried to find ways to entertain ourselves. After I-spy, a failed attempt at a game of tic-tac-toe, and a failed attempt to get Tseng to play truth-or-dare, the older Turk finally had had enough.

"Why don't you two go explore Junon," Tseng said. It wasn't a question.

"Hey, that's a good idea!" Ronnie grinned.

"Because Rufus will have our heads if we leave," I grumbled as I prodded the ground with my pistol. I had drawn it out with the hope of getting some Thunder blasts in but Tseng had stared me down. He must have known about the incident with the houses on my block.

"You'll be fine," Tseng replied. "Go have fun."

I paused, the pistol centimeters away from poking the ground again, "You're willing to sacrifice yourself just so we can have a little break?"

"Wow, Tseng. I didn't know you cared so much," Ronnie said, not a trace of sarcasm in his voice.

The older Turk sighed, "Truthfully? You're doing more harm than good by being here."

Ronnie and I stared at him, waiting for him to explain.

"Rufus has been in an uncharacteristically bad mood today," Tseng said as he looked at me.

I blinked. Then it dawned on me.

"You're saying that's _my_ fault?"

"Not entirely."

"Oh, come on!" I couldn't help but shout. "It's not my fault he's such a stuck-up little brat that doesn't know how to have fun."

Tseng's expression didn't change. He was giving me that sage-like look of his. That one he gives to somebody when he knows that they know that he's right. Sometimes I hated that look. It made me feel like a child.

Ronnie's eyes darted between me and Tseng and back. When none of us said anything for a while, he took it upon himself to speak.

"So," he bounced, "are we going?"

I opened my mouth to respond.

_Pow!_

I scrunched my face in confusion as Ronnie, Tseng, and I looked at one another.

_Pow! Pow!_

The last two 'pow's finally registered: gunshots. And they were coming from inside the building Rufus was in. That was not a good thing. What bodyguards were we if the person we were supposed to be guarding wound up in a body bag? Even _if_ said person was the one who didn't want any of us near him in the first place.

Tseng was standing near the door, so naturally he was the first one in the building. I was right on his tail. One second I was running forward and the next I was flying backward—Tseng right with me. Both of us hit the ground with an 'oof.' As I tried to remove myself from Tseng, I saw Ronnie bolt into the room gun a-blazin'.

It took me a second or two, but eventually I untangled myself. It was then that I noticed what had thrown Tseng back. A large hole was in the center of his suit; the flesh under that slightly burnt. A Fire Materia. I cringed. I knew that had to hurt. Despite his injury, Tseng was already to his knees and trying to get into the building.

"Whoa, wait, do you think—" I cautioned.

"Call Reno!" Tseng shouted as he got to his feet.

"Wait! Why?" I managed to get out before he disappeared inside the building.

I stared through the open door for a moment and then it dawned on me. Reno was the one flying the chopper. He was the only one that could fly Rufus' sorry ass out of this place; along with Tseng's, Ronnie's, and mine. With that quick deduction, I whipped my phone out of my pocket and pressed '3'.

While I waited for the phone to ring I realized...I still had my pistol out. If my gun was loaded I would have shot myself for being so stupid.

"What the hell am I waiting around here for?"

I probably looked hilarious, running into a gun fight with a phone to my left ear and a gun drawn in my right; but, I didn't give a damn. Whatever worked, worked. As soon as my eyes adjusted to the lighting in the room the first thing they fell to was the door across the hallway and the staircase. The door was slid open into another part of the building. Staircase or door? Dammit!

Reno finally picked up when my foot hit the second stair.

"Yo?" He answered calmly.

"Where the hell have you been?" I shrieked as I reached the top step. Waiting for me at the top were a few dead bodies and a whole helluva lot of doors. Aye caramba.

Reno immediately knew something was up, "What's wrong?"

"We're being ambushed! I think. Hell, I don't know," I replied as I looked through the first door. Nothing.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Reno asked, slightly annoyed, "Weren't you watching Rufus?"

"He kicked us out," I managed to growl as I checked the fourth room. Still nothing.

Reno sighed, "Where is he now?"

"I don't kn-_ooo!_" I screamed.

The last room definitely was not empty. I barely managed to duck out of the way as gunfire erupted from the far corner of the room. Before I dived behind a nearby table, I had just managed to see the man that was hiding there. He continued to shoot from his position, slumped against the far wall, while I hid behind the desk. I could hear Reno shouting at me as I threw my phone down. Taking a deep breath, I gripped my gun in both hands and popped up from behind the table. I could only hope that my bluff would work.

"Stop!" I shouted at the man, "or I'll shoot!"

I was pretty sure I heard Reno say, 'Shoot anyway!' but I wasn't completely sure. I didn't have to worry, though. The man had already disposed of his rifle. It must have been out of bullets. Instead, in his hand was a glowing, blue Materia. If memory served me right, it was probably Blizzard.

"I. Will. Shoot. You," I growled out.

The man hesitated for a moment, glaring at me the whole while, but eventually dropped the Materia. It rolled harmlessly away. Phew. I'd lied my way outta that one.

"Where is Rufus?" I snapped.

The man kept glaring.

"Where is he?" I shouted.

"Hmph. Why should I tell you?" He asked smugly. I pulled the hammer back on the gun. He fell for it.

"Downstairs. Just missed him. Him and that damn animal of his were gone faster than we thought possible. Then that damn Turk had to come and finish us off. He has guts. Going around with a wound like that—"

I snatched my phone off the ground and bolted for the stairs. A dial tone was playing when I put it up to my ear. Reno must have hung up. I hoped that meant he was on his way. Slamming my phone into my pocket, I kept going.

According to that man upstairs, Tseng was the one who had taken out the people I'd passed. If Tseng went up, then Ronnie probably went out the door chasing after Rufus. Good. At least that way Ronnie was out of danger. Oh, and Rufus was guarded, of course.

The open door at the back of the building led to a janitor's room. Inside were not only a lot of mops and brooms but also another door. I pushed my way through it and stumbled into the alleyway behind the main building. The sunlight outside was harsh and it momentarily blinded me. When my vision finally returned to normal, I noticed that a few startled citizens were giving me odd looks. I loved that. A woman comes bursting out of a building, gun in hand, and all they could do was stare?

"Which way did they go?" I gasped. None of them said anything and instead chose to look around at one another.

"Which way?" I screamed.

A few of them jumped at my sudden outburst. A man pointed down the road to my left and I was off again.

Junon was as bad as Midgar. The entire city was made up of nothing but concrete and a maze of paved roads. I had no idea where I was going. Even though we had traveled everywhere with Rufus, the damn kid had taken so many twist and turns that I was sure that, even if I _had_ known where I was before, I'd still have been lost.

The road I was traveling down came to a stop. Branching off on either side of it was another road. I screamed in frustration. Never in my life had so many damn decisions been based on 'left or right?' I was getting nowhere. Running around aimlessly was not only stupid but it was also wasting precious time. I still had my cell phone on me. Maybe I could have reached Ronnie or Tseng and see which way they went.

I decided to try Tseng first. As I took out my phone and pressed the number for Tseng on my speed dial, I looked around for the canon. If I could spot the canon, then I could probably fumble my way towards it. Unfortunately, the buildings were too tall and tightly compacted around me that I couldn't see anything. Gritting my teeth, I waited for Tseng to answer. He never did.

Fed up with waiting on Tseng, I hung up and tried Ronnie. I looked behind me and noticed that some of the people from before were still hanging around. Must be enjoying the spectacle before them, I thought bitterly. Before I could snap at the not-so-innocent bystanders, Ronnie picked up.

"Hello?" His voice came ragged from breathing heavily. Running, most likely.

"Where are you?" I asked quickly.

"I don't know!" He shouted. "Somewhere in Junon?"

"You're not helping any," I growled.

"Well, sorry! I've just been following Rufus."

"You caught him?"

"If by catch you mean, do I have him within my sight? Then yes. If by catch you mean, did I tackle him to the ground? Then no."

I rubbed my eyebrows in annoyance, "Just tell me which way you went after getting out of the building."

"Uh... I think it was a right, a left, and then another right."

"You _think_?" I asked.

"Yeah... I think. All these buildings look the same to me, okay? Hey! There's a blimp plane thing just over my right shoulder!"

"A what?" I asked looking up towards the sky. Maybe if I could just see what he was talking about, I could steer myself in the right direction.

"Oh, no, nevermind. That's just a helicopter."

My palm hit my forehead with a smack loud enough that I was sure Ronnie could hear, "You idiot! Listen. Tackle Rufus and drag his sorry ass to that helicopter."

I took off running down the right path. That helicopter had to be Reno. Not many helicopters flew around Gaia and nearly if not all of them were owned by Shin-Ra. I was just going to have to trust that the 'directions' Ronnie had given me were right.

After about five great strides, it occured to me that Ronnie failed to mention which section of road I was supposed to turn at. The dial tone entering my left ear was not a comforting sound. Fuck it, I thought as I pocketed my cell phone again. I'd get there when I got there. Surely Shin-Ra wouldn't leave me in Junon... Ok, surely they would come back for me... Maybe I should have picked up the pace.

I turned down the first street on my left and kept going. It was a long sucker, with lots of pedestrians dotting the way to the end. Most of them simply refused to get out of my way, making the road an obstacle course, while others overreacted and dived for the sides of the building. If they weren't in my way; I ignored them. If they were in my way; I swerved at the last second, making sure to call them a name that would be censored by national television.

It took me a while to get to the end, but when I did, I saw someone I hadn't been expecting to see. Tseng was sitting on the ground leaning against a wall. That wasn't good. It seemed even Tseng had his limits.

"You alright?" I called out to him as I walked toward him.

Slowly he turned his head to face me, "I've had better."

I snorted, "I think we've all had better."

Crouching down I noticed just how severe his burns were. His flesh might not have been peeling off like you see in horror movies or _Trauma_, but it was definitely red. First degree burns might not be the severest, but they did hurt like hell. And, considering the size of the burn on Tseng's chest...and the fact that he had been running and shooting not too long ago... I was surprised the bastard wasn't curled up in fetal position and crying like a baby. But, then again, that just wasn't Tseng.

"I'm guessing walking's out of the question," I mumbled.

Tseng gave me a defiant look, "It's not as bad as it looks."

"No," I agreed, "It's worse. Don't tell me that don't hurt, I know it does. And you can't tell me you just decided to sit down and lean against a wall just for shits and giggles while Rufus is out there with only measly little Ronnie and Dark Nation to protect him."

Tseng remained silent at that, staring at me intently, before commenting, "You have the strangest sayings I have ever heard."

"And working with Reno, I guess that's saying something," I smirked, "But seriously, let's get you up and to that chopper before they leave us."

To my surprise, Tseng actually allowed me to put his arm around my shoulders and lift him off the ground. Ok, he had to push off the wall a little bit because he's heavier than he looks, but the fact that he put aside his 'Mr. Suit' personality to listen to reason was more than shocking. It took us a minute or two to get our steps in sync with one another—Tseng's strides were longer and I walked too fast—but eventually we managed.

We walked in silence. I spent most of the journey trying to keep Tseng from slipping and watching Reno circle the area over, and over, and over. I hoped that they had refueled the damn thing, or we might have been stuck here for longer than was planned.

Luckily for Tseng and me, we were only a street away from the Shin-Ra building where the canon was at. Unluckily for me, Tseng's energy reserves were pretty much on empty at that point. He stumbled a bit, and since he's the heavier, we both almost went tumbling to the pavement. The wall was gracious enough to catch us. After a few mumbled words of apology on both our ends, and a quick shove off the wall, we were on our way again. For a whole three steps.

A blinding white flash followed quickly by the sound of a small explosion stopped me and Tseng in our tracks. I stopped because I was partially blind, but I think Tseng stopped because he knew something was wrong.

"Rufus," he muttered.

And naturally it had to be the idiotic Vice President that was the cause.

"Why do you say that?" I asked, using my free hand to rub my eyes. I blinked a few times before looking in the direction the Thunder spell had come from.

"Dark Nation knows a few magic spells," Tseng explained as he tried to drag _me_ towards the Shin-Ra building.

I hurried my pace to keep him from injuring himself further, "But what if it's one of those guys from earlier?" I thought about that for a second, "And they'd only be after Rufus... Makes sense now."

Tseng cast me a sideways look but we kept going. As we drew closer, the sounds of gunfire and a spell or two could be made out. Apparently, there was more than one baddie after Rufus' ass—and Ronnie's. When I made that realization, I started to pick up the pace; but once I remembered that Tseng couldn't go very fast (though that's not saying he didn't try) I refrained from taking off.

Coming to the end of the street, Tseng and I hobbled beside the corner of a wall, and I took a chance to peer around it. Sure enough, Rufus, Ronnie, and Dark Nation had all run into a little bit of a problem. And by little, I mean big.

"What do you see?" Tseng asked.

I snorted, "Well... Rufus is in the front leading the battalion—" Tseng groaned, "—and Ronnie's kinda in the back shooting and missing horribly."

Just as I finished that sentence, Ronnie must have subconsciously heard me and decided to prove me wrong. With a loud _bomf_, Fire erupted from the barrel of his gun and slammed into one of the AVALANCHE members that were lined up in front of them. The man didn't even scream as he was knocked off his feet, along with two others that had been standing beside him.

"Ok, I take that back," I said. "He got about three. Dark Nation is just kind of sitting by Rufus as Rufus..."

I trailed off as I actually paid attention to the boy. In his hand was what looked like a shot gun. I wasn't sure if it was or not, but it was long-barreled regardless; and he was wielding it with the ease of an expert. Whenever he shot, he always hit.

"...kicks ass," I finished.

Tseng almost chuckled. "Not what you were expecting?"

"No, not—"

I stopped immediately as I noticed the group of AVALANCHE members running towards Ronnie and the others. The tricky thing about street fights is that streets are open on both ends. If you don't have someone watching your tail, chances are it's going to get blown off. Not wasting any time, I took off running in the direction of the new arrivals. Within seconds my pistol was out of my holster and aimed at the furthest AVALANCHE member.

I could feel the Materia resting in my pistol. That had happened before. The Thunder Materia was responding to me without me having to say its name. That was good. It meant that, if I was lucky, the idiots I was going to fire at wouldn't see me. They hadn't yet.

"There's another one!"

They saw me... Or, more specifically, the ones behind me saw me. And when they called out, the ones in front of me saw me. My day just couldn't have gotten any better.

Having been formally introduced, I decided not to waste any time handing out my gifts. One thought was all it took to release the magic stored within the tiny rock in my gun. With a loud crackle, the electricity that exploded from the barrel of my gun raced towards the AVALANCHE members. As it flew towards the man farthest from me, the lightning bolt arced and hit whoever else was in the way. In less than a second, five of the seven AVALANCE members were down. Of course, that left two more.

"_Ru-fuuus!_" I exclaimed, sounding like the guy from _Lucy_, as I took my place behind him and the others.

"A little busy, Saan," He replied as he fired at another person.

I tried to shoot another Thunder spell at the two remaining members, but nothing happened. My eyes widened as the two men took aim at me. Before they could shoot, a bolt of electricity flew past me and hit them, causing a small explosion on each of their chests and sending them flying.

I turned and faced whoever it was that had just saved me. It was Dark Nation. The feline only stared at me before turning and resuming its attack on the other AVALANCHE members. Weird moment past, I turned and walked up behind Rufus. Only three enemies remained; I didn't feel the need to rush.

"Something not go according to plan?" I hissed.

Rufus lowered his gun (which was indeed a shot gun) and faced me, frowning. The sound of Ronnie's Fire spell exploding on the remaining AVALANCHE members prevented Rufus from answering my question. I turned and stared at the smoldering, bloody corpses that lined the road in front of me. I shuddered.

"Hey!" Ronnie exclaimed. He looked down at his pistol, then turned towards Rufus and me, a giant grin plastered on his face, "I leveled up!"

The Vice President and I stared at him for a moment before looking at one another.

"What happened here today had nothing to do with me, do you understand?" Rufus asked.

I stared hard into Rufus' eyes as Ronnie looked uneasily between the both of us. He must have gotten anxious with the uncomfortable silence because he walked off and went to help Tseng—who was hobbling towards us. Potential eavesdropper gone, I folded my arms.

"They ambushed you, didn't they?" I asked.

"Drop it," Rufus replied.

"You were going to have a meeting with them for whatever reason, and they decided that having the Vice President alone with them would be too much of an opportunity to pass up. Am I right?" I asked. Rufus' eyes narrowed so I continued, "Tell me something. How long do you think a kid like you's going to be able to keep an organization like _that_ under his thumb?"

The next thing I knew, I had a shotgun barrel pointed straight between my eyes. I chose to ignore it and kept my gaze focused on Rufus. I wasn't trying to taunt him. If anything, I was trying to warn him. It was obvious to me that his dealings with AVALANCHE were only going to end up getting worse. Next time they decided to turn on him, he might just end up dead. Something in me wouldn't allow that to happen. He was too young. Too young and too stupid to die.

"Rufus!" Tseng's voice called out.

"What the!" Ronnie's voice followed shortly after.

I cast a quick look in their direction. My eyes widened. Ronnie's arm was raised, and in it he held his pistol. He was aiming at Rufus.

"Fire!" Was the next word out of Ronnie's mouth.

I held my breath. Everything slowed down. Ronnie practically dropped Tseng as he took off running towards Rufus and me. Rufus turned, eyes wide, as the Fira spell hurtled towards him. I rushed forward, side-stepping the shotgun, and shoved Rufus hard in the chest. I managed to duck just in time for the fireball to go sailing over my head; the heat was unnerving. Rufus hit the ground hard on his ass and dropped the gun. Time seemed to catch up with itself and Ronnie was instantly by my side.

"What was that for?" Ronnie screeched at me.

"You tried to _kill_ him!" I shouted back.

Ronnie opened his mouth to protest, but before he could, a black streak was racing towards him. Dark Nation. We had forgotten about Rufus' deadly pet. Ronnie, however, turned and faced the animal, and like a pro fired off another fireball.

I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and noticed Rufus reaching for his gun. He had just laid his hand on it when I dived at him. We both grunted as I landed on top of him, my elbow digging its way into his chest as I reached for the gun. I quickly found Rufus' free hand in a vice grip around my ribs. Holy-fuckin'-ow. I gritted my teeth together, tried to ignore the pain, and slipped my arm down to his neck—my futile attempt to suffocate him. My finger barely touched the butt of the gun.

"STOP!"

For a second, I seriously thought I had just heard the voice of God...but, then it registered as Tseng's. I let up off Rufus' neck a little bit and, much to my amazement, found Rufus releasing his hold on my ribs—barely. Rufus and I shot Tseng an uncertain look. Ronnie, I noticed, had also stopped. He was glaring at Dark Nation as if he was trying to catch the cat on fire without using his Materia.

"What are you doing?" Tseng shouted at us from the ground. He had either given up on standing, or his legs had given up on him, as he was on his hands and knees.

"Get off me," Rufus muttered.

"He tried to kill Saan!" Ronnie shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Rufus.

I stared at Ronnie, "You tried to kill him!"

"And you tried to kill me," Rufus added, barely audible, but given my position on top of him...

"I tried to _hurt_ you," I growled.

"Get off me," he growled back.

I glared at the teen under me, but gladly obliged. The distant whir of helicopter blades alerted me to the coming arrival of Reno and Rude. Thank god they hadn't come earlier. I could only imagine what comments Reno would have made about Rufus' and my position. I huffed grumpily as I threw glares at everybody present, except Tseng. And then, realizing that Tseng was still injured, I went over to help him.

"Honestly," Tseng began, "what were you thinking? We're meant to _guard_ the Vice President, not _kill_ him!"

I resisted the urge to sigh as I hoisted Tseng off the ground, resuming the carrying position we had earlier before. Rufus was smirking now that Tseng was reprimanding us. The helicopter's whir had gained in volume, but it still wasn't loud enough to drown out Tseng as he continued his lecture. It seemed Rufus wasn't going to get away without a scolding, either.

"And I don't think your father would be very pleased with you trying to kill his Turks, do you?"

Rufus' smirk quickly turned into a glare, "Watch it, Turk."

"Rufus," Tseng warned.

"Boys," I mimicked, watching as the helicopter started to descend onto the road.

The draft caused by the machine was whipping my hair around like something fierce, and I really felt bad for Tseng. It just happened to be blowing in his direction. I cast the helicopter a sideways glance and then looked warily at Rufus.

"We're at a crossroads, here," I began. "Rufus, I know it would probably please you greatly to tattle-tale on your pathetic bodyguards for trying to kill you, but then you'd have to let your dear old pop in on just what you were doing today. I don't think you want him to know that."

I ignored the look Tseng and Ronnie were giving me, and turned to Ronnie.

"And I know it would please you nothing more than to tell Verdot that Rufus nearly blew my brains out—"

"He did!"

"No, he didn't. And he wouldn't have."

"But!"

"But that's not the point. If you tell Verdot, then you also have to tell him you nearly killed your charge. Do you really want that on your record? And, if Verdot finds out, then he's gotta tell the President. Then the President's going to ask Rufus just what the hell happened, and Rufus is stuck in deep shit," I finished.

"Boy don't you have a very dirty mouth," Rufus sneered.

"Thank you," I replied, looking at him. "The point remains that you're fucked either way you go about it, and we're fucked in only one way. So, what's it going to be?"

"What's what going to be?" Reno asked as he walked towards us. He and Rude had landed the chopper somewhere in the middle of my rant, and seeing that we weren't in any hurry to board, Reno must have come to check on us.

"Nothing," Ronnie, Rufus, Tseng and I all chorused. Reno frowned.

"You're saying we should keep our mouth shut about this whole thing?" Ronnie asked. He looked extremely pissed, but he was going to have to deal.

"Heh," Rufus chuckled. I knew what he was thinking, and I knew it had something to do with my friends' and my demise.

"I'll kill you before you have the chance," I shot at him. Rufus gave me a doubtful look. "While you're alseep."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a wish," I replied.

His face scrunched up in confusion. He was probably thinking I had my sayings wrong, but I didn't. It wasn't a threat, and it wasn't a warning. I would never kill him. If I had my way, I wouldn't kill anyone. But, it was a nice mental image...Shooting him in the head while he slept...Taking Dark Nation out alongside him. Passive-aggressive, anyone?

Reno looked uncomfortably between all of us—Dark Nation not included as the cat was prancing around Rufus' legs.

"Riiight," Reno said, "look, I have _no idea_ what happened here," he swished at us with his finger, "and I don't think I wanna know, but we should get going before someone gets worried. Since ya'll seem to want to keep it a big secret. Or something... Hell, I don't even know what I'm talking about."

Reno shook his head and walked away from us, back towards the chopper. We all passed each other looks. Ronnie would keep quiet; at least, to everyone but me and maybe an inanimate object. Rufus I knew would. He knew the odds were against him. Tseng. I had no idea what Tseng would do, but I didn't really care. The only thing I was worried about with him was his wounds.

Without another word, all of us turned and started heading for the helicopter—its blades starting to whir once again. We were going to have a very interesting debriefing that was for sure. My step faltered as I remembered: Tseng had wounds. They, meaning the powers that be, would ask what had happened to him. I clenched my teeth in aggravation. He'd have to come up with something on his own. I was out of ideas.

_**Edit: Changed the amount of time spent with Rufus from three weeks to one. Makes the timeline more believable.**_


	11. Transition

**A/N: Looky, I updated within...-counts- Two days! This is how fast I would normally be updating if I didn't have stuff to do. To those of you who did not get direct responses from me on your reviews (-cough-everyone-cough-) here ya go:**

**Jacen Starslayer- How could you forget Saan's name? ;-; Joking. Your Rufus comments amused me and you'll find that I gave you more of those interactions. And used 'your' quote. -wiggles eyebrows-**

**hyourin-kusabana- I have never seen so many exclamation points in the same message! Thank you! Peace in! (Or...something)**

**Rai-neko-dono- Teh Great Phoenix heard your prayers! Fear not; Tseng got better. The wonders of Cure. 8D And, yey! Now I have a Creepy-stalker-fan-girl-level-2! Saying that like, "Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go," is hilarious.**

**Crystalfeathers: o.o. o3o. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, **_**America's Funniest Home Videos**_**, nor 'Amy'. I do however own this plot and a boss who is Asian. Coincidence? I think not.**

_**Edited on 6 Oct 2010 for goofs and errors. Also, I don't have that boss no more. Poor Nghiem… We kind of abandoned him… -laughs guiltily-**_

Irony is a wonderful thing, no? That's what I thought as I stood with Rufus in the elevator as we descended. We hadn't uttered a word to one another since we left his father's office. My first official meeting with the President, and it was about what had happened in Junon. In other words, I'd nearly lost my job.

Tseng had spilled the beans about what occurred the day before. I didn't blame him for it. I felt proud of him. He was the only one of us doing his job. The only one of us noble enough to...

President Shin-Ra hadn't been all that happy with us Turks. Tseng had had it easy since he had told the truth and he was the one that kept us from killing one another. Ronnie didn't really get punished all that bad. It seemed Shin-Ra liked his desk-job boy; that or he just didn't want to bother with someone so low on the food chain. I, on the other hand. Well, with my record, I had almost gotten eaten alive. Rufus had saved me. That's where the irony came in.

The boy had been crafty. He'd shown my attempt to choke him as only a defensive maneuver I had made to try and save Ronnie (which it was) and mentioned the fact that I had saved his ass twice that day. So, in all, I'd done more help than harm. He also made a jab at me by saying I wasn't strong enough to injure a kitten. Rufus managed to save me, amuse his father, and piss me off all in one paragraph. The kid was just full of talent.

However, by amusing Shin-Ra, he had also put me on the President's radar. Starting that day I wasn't to be guarding Rufus anymore; I was to guard the President. Rufus loved the idea. Said that his father and I could both benefit from it. I knew what the truth was, though. The kid was just happy to get rid of me. I was one of the few people in Shin-Ra that would take none of his shit. With me gone, there would be no more thorn in the side of his ego.

More of the irony had to do with the fact that the President was flying to Junon that day, as well. So, I was off once again to the city with the giant canon. The place I so screwed up at. Haha, heehee, haha, ho.

As the elevator continued its decent, I pulled my pistol out of its holster and absentmindedly began to shine its barrel. I ignored Rufus' curious look. I couldn't, however, ignore his question.

"You never fired a shot when you went against AVALANCHE. Why is that?"

I frowned, "Because it wasn't loaded."

"You don't load your gun?" Rufus asked amusedly, "What good is it, then? May as well not carry it."

I put the gun back in my holster then turned my head to look at the boy, "I still use the Materia within it. If I'm careful, Thundara won't kill whoever I fire it at."

"You're afraid to kill people. An odd trait for a Turk," Rufus smiled.

"The people we're fighting," I said looking away and at the reflective elevator doors. "They have families. They have lives. Who am I to take them away from their loved ones? They don't leave their families thinking 'I'm going to die today.' If they did, they probably wouldn't leave. AVALANCHE is just like SOLDIER in that way. Just a bunch of young boys doing what they think is right."

"Hmph," Rufus grunted sceptically, "SOLDIERs are ready to die for Shin-Ra. They know what they're signing up for—"

"No," I interjected. "They're not. They're willing to lay down their lives for their family. Their friends. Not you; not your father; and definitely not Shin-Ra. But, they don't really think of dying. They're young. They think they're invincible."

Rufus looked at me and I looked back. He was frowning, "You're speaking from experience."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"A lifetime of experience," I replied. "Not all of it mine."

"How old are you?" Rufus asked.

I thought the question was odd, but I replied anyways, "Twenty-two."

"And yet you seem to speak with way more wisdom than even the President could ever hope to have. Why? What happened to make you like this?" Rufus asked.

I was a little surprised. He wasn't making fun of me. He was genuinely curious. Genuinely interested in what I had to say. It was a side of Rufus I hadn't seen before.

"It's hard to explain," I began. "I'm an empathetic person, Rufus. War is hell for me. It's hell for everyone, but for different reasons. Most people just hear a death toll and think, 'Damn. That's a lot.' But, they're really not that affected by it. I used to be that way. And, then, I started to think about the smaller picture. Each one of those men and women had a mother; a father; maybe a brother and sister. They had friends. They used to laugh, cry, and be angry. Now, they won't."

I trailed off. I hated to admit it, but my own speech was about to bring me to tears. Rufus remained silent for a little while.

"You weren't just a pilot."

I smirked, "I see someone's been reading through my file. And, no, I wasn't."

"Then what were you?" Rufus asked. His tone was becoming demanding.

I sighed. I was going to stop while I was ahead, or he'd figure out my big secret. No matter how much 'bonding' we had just accomplished within the past few minutes, I had no doubt he still would have no trouble strapping me to a table and dissecting me like the alien I was.

"Leave it, Rufus," I replied as I looked back at the doors. "There are some scars best left hidden."

Rufus was frowning again, "You're changing the subject."

"I am."

The boy glared at the doors. Luckily for me, we were close to the second floor by now. Then I could flee to the safety of my house before I had to come back later and escort the damn President to Junon... Rufus wouldn't be desperate enough to stalk me after I got back to find out about my past, would he? Nah. I hoped...

"Load your gun," Rufus spoke suddenly. I actually jumped.

"What?" I asked.

"Load your gun," Rufus said again. He was scarily serious.

"Why?"

"You never know what could happen, Saan," he continued. "Last time you got lucky. Dark Nation saved you when your Materia didn't work. Those rocks aren't always reliable. There are spells out there that can prevent you from using them. Then where does that leave you?"

I remained silent as Rufus cocked a brow at me. I hadn't heard of that before. He did have point. If my Thundara didn't work...

"That leaves you dead, Saan. I suggest you load your gun before you join the President later today. AVALANCHE might feel like giving it another go. You never know," Rufus trailed off.

I furrowed my eyebrows at him. I couldn't tell if he was toying with me or giving me a hint, but I decided to listen to him anyway. Taking the magazine out of my pocket and the gun from my holster, I jammed the magazine into the butt of the gun and drew back the slide. I made sure to uncock the gun afterwards.

"Happy now?" I asked, looking at Rufus.

Rufus only smiled. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open with their familiar _swish._ I gave Rufus a look before exiting the elevator. When Rufus didn't follow me out, I looked back at him. The doors were already closing.

"Forgot something," he said with a smirk.

He was lying. That was obvious. As the doors shut on him, I couldn't help but think, 'Asshole.' He probably didn't have to come down with me in the first place; just decided to for the fun of it. Probably to get away from his father. Regardless, I smiled as I began to walk towards the stairs. Maybe my little speech would knock some sense into him. A little, tiny portion of some sense. One could only hope.

—**FFVII—**

Ronnie wasn't home when I got there. He had probably gotten out of the President's 'debriefing' and went straight back to work. Technically, I was doing the same thing. If there was one thing the President of Shin-Ra was good at, it was scaring you shitless. He could probably make his own son think he was going to fire him if he wanted to. But, then again, Rufus was a smart boy. I wouldn't put it past him to see through anything his father came up with.

The first place I went to when I got home was the fridge. I hadn't eaten anything at all yet, and there was no way in hell I was going to fly all the way to Junon in a helicopter with President Shin-Ra staring at me as my stomach made weird noises as it ate itself. That would have been beyond awkward.

Upon opening the refrigerator, I noticed that we needed to do some major food shopping. And, by we, I meant Ronnie. We had set up this little system that one of us would go shopping, and then come next time the other would go. Well, it was Ronnie's turn. So, yeah...

I didn't spot anything I could eat that didn't need cooking, so I settled with grabbing a glass of milk. Babies got away with living off milk, why couldn't I? After I poured myself a glass, the phone rang. The house phone. The phone that was located over near the stairs more than six feet away. I frowned and put up the milk, grabbed my drink, and walked towards the phone. Those first three rings weren't going to kill whoever was on the other side of the line.

I picked up just before the fourth ring.

"Hello?" I asked before taking a drink of milk.

"Saan?" A deep voice asked, "This is Sephiroth."

"_Pfft!_" There went my milk... Some remained in my mouth, though. Ok, it was actually in my windpipe, but least it didn't wind up on the floor along with the rest.

". . ." The man on the other end of the line remained silent as I attempted to clear the liquid from my breathing tube.

"Wha-_cough, cough-_What?" I asked after almost a minute of coughing.

"Sephiroth," the man reiterated.

I had heard that name from the weird women in Sector 8 a while back. Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal, if I remembered correctly. Up until today I had only ever seen Angeal. And then, it was only once. Most of the SOLDIERs tended to stay on floor forty-nine.

"...Why are you calling? Aren't you, like, the General of SOLDIER, or something?" I asked.

Sephiroth was silent for another moment before replying, "Something like that. The President is about to leave. I'll be with you on your way to Junon. He's—"

"Too lazy to call me himself and tell me ya'll are about to leave?" I asked taking another drink of milk. Whatever was on the floor could wait. The mop was in the utility room. I was using a cord phone. Do the math.

"..."

I sighed, "I'm on my way."

I decided to spare Sephiroth anymore of my 'strange' antics and hung up first. I frowned at the puddle of milk that lay on the floor. Drinking the rest of my milk, I put the glass on the kitchen table and went back into the utility room. Well, at least I was going to have a SOLDIER on the trip with me. If AVALANCHE tried anything, I could just let Sephiroth handle it. Plus, with Sephiroth there, I wouldn't have to talk to the President...

—**FFVII—**

When I got to the President's office, he and Sephiroth were standing near his desk talking about something. I don't think I took two steps into the office before I spotted Sephiroth. He was kind of hard to miss.

One, the guy had amazingly long hair. Two, his hair was silver; not platinum blond, not gray, but _silver_. Three, he was wearing one of the most bad ass leather outfits I had ever seen. Four, the odachi he was carrying was almost as long as he was tall, if not longer. Summary: Drool.

Both Shin-Ra and Sephiroth turned and looked at me causing me to resume my trek across the giant office. It might have been a little awkward for me just to stand there and stare. Even more so if they knew I was doing it.

"Ms. Darnell, this is Sephiroth," President Shin-Ra began. "He will be accompanying us to Junon."

"So, I heard," I muttered.

Sephiroth nodded in my direction. It was supposed to be his way of recognizing my existence, but I stuck my hand out for him to shake regardless. A fine, silver eyebrow rose in amusement, but he shook my hand anyway. I blinked as I pulled my hand from his. His eyes were cat eyes. Silver hair and cat eyes. It was like a bad anime cliché, only in real life. Something was obviously not human about him, and I was quite curious to find out what it was.

"Now that the formalities are out of the way, it's time we left," Shin-Ra said. "I haven't got all day."

Sephiroth nodded and followed after the President. I followed after Sephiroth and glowered at the old man in front of him. I'd rather have been doing anything than guard the fat man that was Rufus' father. There was something about the way he held himself and the way he ordered people that disturbed me. I considered him a megalomaniac because of his power status within the company. But, I don't think I really understood the weight of that one word and how close Shin-Ra actually was to it.

When we got to the helicopter, President Shin-Ra was the first to enter the cabin. That was only natural considering he was the president and all. The man nearly took up two seats. I resisted the urge to shudder.

I climbed in after him and decided sitting across from the old man would be better than being squished up alongside him. As I slid into my seat, I smirked. Sephiroth was last. Imagining him fighting with that sword of his to get it to fit was pretty amusing. Kind of like when a kid does; running through the house with a broom only to clothesline themselves when they try to go through a door. _America's Funniest Home Videos_ was such a bad influence.

Unfortunately, when Sephiroth entered, he easily slid into the seat beside me and placed his sword between the bench and the cabin doors. I frowned. I had wanted to see such a 'badass' dude make a fool out of himself.

Sephiroth was a quick little bugger and managed to catch the look I had given him.

"I can try it again, if you'd like," he said emotionlessly.

My eyes widened. Not only had he seen the look, but he had accurately read it, too. To-a-T read it...

"No, that's fine," I squeaked before turning my attention to President Shin-Ra.

Boy, why did I ever do that? His face was scrunched up in confusion, which, combined with his wrinkles, made him look. Well, fugly would have been a good term. How the hell the man ever produced Rufus was beyond me. Again, I resisted the urge to shudder.

"When we arrive in Junon," the President began as the helicopter blades started to hum above us, "you are not to leave my side for any reason. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," was Sephiroth's robotic response.

I blinked and couldn't help but ask, "What if I have to go to the bathroom, sir?"

President Shin-Ra gave me a blank look, "I don't much like jokes, Ms. Darnell."

"It's...an honest question...sir," I hesitated. Had to at least attempt to get on his good side.

"Then ask first," he replied grumpily. "Any more stupid questions, Ms. Darnell?"

My brow creased. What crawled up his ass?

"No, sir," I replied.

Shin-Ra seemed pleased with my answer and turned his attention outside the window. I cast Sephiroth a sideways look. He had his arms crossed and was staring at the floor with all his might. If he stared any harder, he probably could have borne a hole right through the metal. Once again, he sensed me looking at him. His eyes flicked towards me though his head stayed put.

"Yes, Saan?" He asked.

"That's a very interesting floor," I mused. I smirked as his eyes narrowed just a bit.

"I wouldn't tease him if I were you, Ms. Darnell," Shin-Ra interrupted. "That man has enough power in his hand to destroy my entire skyscraper." Shin-Ra nodded towards the shrinking Shin-Ra Building.

"You're exaggerating again, Mister President," Sephiroth replied, not a trace of emotion in his voice. It wasn't that the man was a robot. It was just... He seemed to me to be very, very bored.

"Am I?" Shin-Ra asked, casting a sideways glance at the General. "I think I know what my endeavours are worth, Sephiroth."

I frowned. Endeavour? As in, "I spent a lot of time and money on this thing?" The way he said that... It was as if he thought he _owned_ Sephiroth. My frown quickly became a glare. I hated people like that. People who thought they owned anyone under them. I guess that meant I hated most of Shin-Ra. There were few people that I had ever really _hated_ in my lifetime. Shin-Ra was well on his way to becoming one of them.

Sephiroth didn't respond. Just continued to stare at the President, his arms folded across his chest. I wiped the scowl off my face just as Shin-Ra looked at me. Somehow I managed to flash him a small smile. He grunted and looked back out the window.

I stared hard at the side of his face; picking it apart as I thought of many not-so-happy thoughts. It was going to be a long ride to Junon. I could tell that already. I wanted to vent. Vent to Sephiroth about the asshole we were guarding. But, naturally, I couldn't do that with the idiot in the helicopter with us. So, instead, I settled for staring absentmindedly at the floor. It worked for Sephiroth, it sure as hell could work for me.

—**FFVII—**

When we arrived at Junon, I was the first one out of the helicopter. It was funny to see Shin-Ra's surprised face when I jumped out of my seat before him. I almost ruined my defiant action by tripping over Sephiroth's sword, though. Luckily, he moved it out my way just a bit. I think he knew what I was trying to do.

I slid open the cabin door and, as soon as my feet touched the ground, I stormed towards the building. President Shin-Ra was right on my heels.

"Ms. Darnell!" He shouted at me. I smirked and turned back around to face him.

"Yes, Mister President?" I asked innocently.

He was glaring at me, "What did I tell you?"

"To not leave your side for any reason—"

Shin-Ra opened his mouth to say something, but I continued.

"—unless I have to go to the bathroom."

I almost laughed. Shin-Ra had almost _pouted_ at me. The fat man with the mustache almost _pouted!_ Rufus frowned every once and a while, but he never pouted. For some reason, my foul mood evaporated in the blink of an eye. I was dealing with a moronic megalomaniac. The job was going to be a piece of cake.

"Sorry, sir," I smiled, "It's a real emergency."

Sephiroth strolled up behind the President, hair blowing loosely behind him as the helicopter began to take off. He looked like an over-sized guard dog. No, scratch that. Given his eyes, I'd say it was more like an over-sized guard _cat_. One that was very bored and carried a long, pointy stick.

I turned my eyes towards Sephiroth and gave him a smirk. I was trying to convey the point that I was toying with the President. I think he understood, but instead of getting a smile like I'd hoped, I only got a slightly shocked blink. A _very_ _slightly_ shocked blink.

"Fine," Shin-Ra barked, "but hurry it up. I have a speech to deliver soon."

Turning, I walked toward the doors again. I frowned. A speech? President Shin-Ra was in Junon to deliver a speech? My eyes widened as my step faltered. Oh, shit. That meant he was going to be out in the open. AVALANCHE was going to have an easy target if the President was going to be talking to the masses. I didn't give a damn how powerful Sephiroth was, even he couldn't handle the forces AVALANCHE would send to take out the old man.

That's where I came in. I was supposed to help. Help with what? I sucked! Sephiroth was the damn General of SOLDIER and they thought _I_ could help _him_? No, I thought bitterly as I entered the Junon Building. Rufus thought I could help. I grit my teeth together as I stormed towards the bathroom. The little prick probably knew something would happen and gave his daddy the worst possible person to protect him.

Then it hit me. As I opened the door to the girl's restroom, I realized why Rufus had told me to load my gun. I paused and took my gun from its holster. It was a lot heavier with the full magazine in it. The Thunder Materia winked at me as I stared at it. If something happened, it wouldn't do me much good. The bullets would. I learned a long time ago that magic drained its user the more one cast in one go. The bullets would protect me from running out of energy.

I looked up at my reflection in the mirror, "Rufus, you better not try anything..."

I really didn't have to go to the bathroom; that was just something I'd cooked up. So, instead, I went into one of the stalls and dialed Ronnie's number. He answered after the second ring.

"Your assignment's over already?" He asked. He knew who was calling and didn't bother to say 'hello.'

"No, just beginning. I'm hiding out in the bathroom," I replied as I inspected my fingernails.

"Why?"

"Eh, I hate the President. He gives off bad vibes."

"Like, hasn't bathed in a week bad vibes, or kicks a kitten bad vibes?"

I frowned, "Kicks a kitten. I said bad vibes, not bad smells..."

"Well, it's either your job, or your morals. Both opinions affect the other. Really. How's it different than scooping Chocobo poop?" I could hear the grin in his voice.

"You just had to bring that up, didn't you?" I growled.

Ronnie laughed, "Yesh."

"Anyways, I gotta go. Talk to ya later."

"See ya, Saan."

I hung up and pocketed my phone. Once again, I stared down at my pistol. It came down to morals or your job, eh? Which did I value more? That one was easy: morals. But, Ronnie had been right. Both affected the other. If something happened to Shin-Ra, no matter how much I despised the man, I would feel guilty about it. Guilt is a very heavy feeling to carry. Right, then...

After holstering my gun, I stepped out into the hallway. And nearly got scared shitless...

"JEEZUS!" I exclaimed, barely dodging the pauldron on Sephiroth's left shoulder.

After overreacting and nearly stumbling into the wall, I turned and stared at Sephiroth, mouth agape. Once again, one of those silver brows were raised at my expense.

"The hell, man?" I asked.

He just continued to give me the same slightly amused stare, "The President decided it would be a good idea to use the restroom, as well."

"And so you decided to stand in front of the girl's bathroom door?" I asked.

Sephiroth turned his head away and resumed his staring contest with the floor, "I hadn't expected you to come out so soon."

"Oh, well, then," I said sarcastically. "Perhaps you should expect the unexpected."

Sephiroth's eyes flicked back towards me and narrowed. It was amazing how such a little gesture could seem so damn intimidating.

The men's bathroom door swung open with a loud smack as Shin-Ra stepped into the hallway. He was grumbling about something as he stormed past Sephiroth and me. Sephiroth pushed himself off the wall and stalked after the President like the giant, black cat that he was. I frowned.

"Mister President," I called after him firmly. Both he and Sephiroth stopped and looked at me.

I hesitated. I hadn't really thought of what I was going to say to warn him. What could I say? 'Yo, you're about to be shot. Just thought ya should know.' Yeah, no, I didn't think that would fly too well.

"_Yes,_ Mr. Darnell?" Shin-Ra asked impatiently.

I took a deep breath, "I think AVANLANCHE is going to try to attack you."

"I'm quite well aware of that, Saan, that's why I brought Sephiroth. Now, will you stop your incessant worrying and come on? I have a speech to deliver and, if you prevent me from doing that, I'll do more than take it out of your paycheck."

Shin-Ra turned on his heels and stormed on down the hallway. I stared after him. That idiot was so full of himself, he couldn't even listen to reason. I glared at Sephiroth; he merely stared back. Resisting the urge to growl, I stormed past the silver-headed man, only to be pulled back by my arm. Furious, I snapped my head back to look at him.

"Where did you hear that?" He asked lowly.

I blinked. "Rufus. He mentioned something about it."

Sephiroth let go of my arm and looked away thoughtfully. "He knows more than he's letting on." He looked back at me, "If anything happens today, stay with the President. I'll take care of the rest."

—**FFVII—**

I nervously looked around the crowd of people standing before the podium. I was never much one for big crowds; so, standing up in front of hundreds of people with cameras pointed at me made me somewhat anxious. Ok, so the cameras weren't pointed at _me, _per se, but close enough.

Shin-Ra, indeed, was delivering a message to the masses and there I was alongside him, standing as stiff as a board with my hands clasped behind my back. Junon was sweltering, again, and my suit did _not_ help any whatsoever. The heat combined with my nervousness made me feel faint on more than one occasion. Luckily for me, Sephiroth was standing on the other side of the President; so, if I was to croak there'd still have been at least _one_ person guarding the old man.

I didn't even pay attention to what the President was saying. I was too busy focusing on not passing out; that, and I was nervous. I was nervous about the cameras; nervous about the people; and, nervous by an attack by AVALANCHE. My eyes constantly darted from one face to another as they tried to pick out at least _one_ _person_ who looked suspicious. I didn't have much luck. Maybe that was a good thing.

Every once in a while, I'd glance sideways at Sephiroth. Only about half of those times did he look back at me, and then his eyes would focus back on the crowd and start scanning, as well.

Shin-Ra wound up talking for nearly thirty minutes. He had just begun wrapping up when I noticed something suspicious. I'm not sure I even noticed it, really. I just got that strange feeling people tended to get. My attention shifted to the back of the crowd. A few of the people had started moving closer to the front. I wouldn't have thought that much of it if they hadn't been so...pushy.

I saw Sephiroth suddenly move out of the corner of my eye. Then, there was a gunshot and something collided painfully with my shoulder. It almost knocked me backward. I didn't need a rocket scientist to tell me what had happened. I'd been shot.

Holding my injured arm close to my body, I shoved Shin-Ra with my left.

"Go!" I screamed.

I didn't know if he heard me over the other screams, but he took off for the safety of the building, anyways. I managed to take a few steps before a hail of gunfire erupted behind me. Gasping, I turned around to check on Sephiroth. My eyes widened in shock.

His hand was held out in front of him and before that was a translucent, hexagonal-shaped shield. I watched in awe as the bullets bounced harmlessly off it. Sephiroth soon noticed I was still there.

"Go!" He shouted at me, the same urgency in his voice that mine had when I shouted at the President.

I nodded once and ran towards the doors. Shin-Ra had already disappeared into the building, and he was probably long gone. Kicking open the door as it tried to shut on me, I fumbled with my gun holster. The asshole that shot me managed to get my good arm; and, drawing my gun with my left was proving a little difficult.

Eventually, I pulled the weapon out and cocked it. Shin-Ra was only a couple of yards in front of me. It was a good thing that he was overweight; it made him slower. Which, made it easier for me to catch up with the man.

"Wait!" I called out to him.

Surprisingly, he did. I never slowed as I raced towards him. Something shifted behind the President further down the hall. I gasped.

"Shin-Ra!" I screeched.

The old man turned and yelped. An AVALANCHE member had been hiding inside, it seemed, and now had the perfect opportunity to shoot the President.

My body moved of its own accord. Stepping in front of Shin-Ra, I aimed at the enemy's knee and fired.

Two gunshots reverberated off the walls.

The next shot I fired hit the man between the eyes. He didn't feel it.

Me, on the other hand.

I couldn't breathe.

And then came the pain. Such an excruciating pain that I hadn't felt since the time I broke my arm when I was six. I stumbled forward a little and fell to the floor. I had tried to brace my fall with my hands, but when my right hand hit the floor, my shoulder felt like it was on fire. It gave out and I hit face-first.

I didn't know what I wanted to do more: cough or gasp for air. My body decided for me. I coughed. It hurt like hell and, as I gasped for air, I saw the blood that splattered the floor underneath me. It wasn't coming from my shoulder.

My whole body shook as I brought my hand up to my ribs. When I pulled it away, it was covered in red. Well, that explained why I couldn't breathe.

I coughed again. I could feel another torrent of blood erupt from my mouth. It was a disgusting feeling; a disturbing feeling. Not to mention it was painful.

Hearing footsteps run by my head, I weakly turned my head just in time to see Shin-Ra disappearing around the corner of the hallway. I gritted my teeth together in anger.

"Bastard," I hissed. "Leave me be_hind!_"

I barely managed to choke down a scream as my side spasmed. Talking only made the pain worse. Guess that meant I shouldn't have done it. Everything blurred and I noticed that the room was getting really cold.

_No_, _the room's not getting cold, _I realized, _you're just dying._

I laid on the floor, gasping for air as blood leaked out of my body at a disturbing rate.

_You're not going to live through this,_ that annoying part of my brain said. _You're going to die. And for what?_

Fear gripped me as everything in front of me started to fade to black.

I was just like those boys I had described to Rufus. I never thought I would die. Not even back when all of it started with the Comet.

I didn't want to die...

—**FFVII—**

My side hurt. It hurt a lot. And I was cold. I could hear footsteps approaching me, but I was too tired to see who it was. Whoever was coming towards me was running.

Then, the footsteps stopped. I figured it was just an AVALANCHE member come to finish me off. But, suddenly, someone had put their arms under my shoulders and legs and was lifting me off the floor.

I tried to open my eyes but only managed to crack them just slightly. Silver and black. I smiled.

"Hello, Sephiroth," I croaked before closing my eyes again.

He didn't answer me. I didn't think he heard me. I had barely heard myself.

As quickly as he'd picked me up, he was placing me back down. I felt something solid behind my back. The wall. He'd taken the time to pick me up off the floor and set me up against the wall. That had been nice of him.

Then, I felt his hand on my side. A split second later there was a strange warmth spreading throughout my ribs and lung. Just as quickly, it was gone and so was Sephiroth.

Leaning my head against the wall, I barely managed to open my eyes again. The first thing I noticed through my blurred vision was the puddle of blood on the floor. I moaned and closed my eyes. It was better not to look at that.

—**FFVII—**

Damn that incessant beeping. Wherever it was. It had this odd habit of staying in tune with my heartbeat.

...Oh.

When I finally opened my eyes, the first thing they fell to was the heart monitor directly across from me. I glared at it. I hated heart monitors. They reminded me of the hospital. I hated hospitals.

I pushed myself up on the bed and did a quick check. IV, heart monitor cables, no catheter. Thank God for that last part. Next thing on the list was to see if I was in one piece. I checked my shoulder first. When I pulled back the horrible hospital gown they had put me in, I was shocked to not see anything.

That was beyond strange. I knew I had been shot there, why was there no evidence of it? A little perturbed, I lifted up the gown and checked my ribs. Good, there was a scar there. A very, very tiny scar, but at least it was there. I was afraid that I was starting to go insane and just imagined nearly bleeding to death.

I tested my shoulder by rolling it around in its socket a little. It didn't hurt. When I moved around at my waist, my ribs didn't hurt, either. I was in top working condition. Good. Then I felt no guilt in unplugging that damn machine.

I crawled off the bed and walked over to the heart monitor. I frowned. I remembered all the times my great-grandmother had been in the hospital. Those things were booby-trapped. If someone yanked off the cables, it'd go off. If someone unplugged it from the wall it'd go off, too, because it had back-up batteries. Only by pressing the right button could I shut it up for good.

"Ah, screw it," I muttered before yanking the cord out of the wall. Next came the sticky pads stuck to various areas of my chest. The machine didn't like that too much.

_Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~!_

"Shut up," I growled at it. "_I. Am. Not. Dead_."

"Sonya!"

"Aaah!" I screamed, ducking behind the hospital bed.

Number one rule: Do not sneak up on someone from behind when they are wearing a hospital gown. Especially if said someone is named Sonya. It was not my fault I grabbed the metal bed pan instead of going for the pillow. Ronnie barely slammed the door shut in time—the pan bouncing off the door with a loud _clang~!_

Growling, I ripped the IV out of my arm and stormed towards the door. I yanked it open and glared at the wide-eyed Ronnie.

"What? Oo-wah! What are you doing here?" I asked as I spotted Tseng standing a few feet away.

Tseng's look of surprise quickly vanished, "I was going to see how you were doing, but I don't think that's necessary anymore. I also have a message to deliver."

"Oh, do ya now?" I asked. I turned my attention back towards Ronnie. "And thank you for walking in on me."

"You're welcome," He replied, frowning a little, "Did you have to throw a bed pan at me?"

"Yes," I said, "Where are my clothes?"

"Do you really think—?"

"Where are my clothes?" I asked again. I didn't need his concern. I knew I was perfectly fine. I'd be even more fine the sooner I left the hospital room.

Ronnie sighed, but pulled the satchel that hung over his shoulder around in front of him and began digging through it. Out of it he pulled a wad of clothes. He handed it to me and I began to look through it. He had brought me a new Turk suit and some socks. The medical team that treated me had been kind enough to let me keep my underwear. There was just one thing missing...

"I didn't know which bra to get so I just grabbed the black one," Ronnie said.

I twitched. No, he didn't. Sure enough, when I slowly brought my eyes up from my pile of clothes to Ronnie's hand, there was my black bra—dangling between his fingers in all of its glory.

I made that tongue noise I usually did when irritated and cast a quick look at Tseng. He had suddenly become very interested in the corner of the wall away from us. However, I could still see the small smile threatening to show itself on his lips. I looked back at Ronnie and snatched the article of clothing away from him.

"Thank you, Ronnie," I replied sarcastically. "At least it matches my outfit."

"I know, right?" Ronnie grinned back. He was well aware of the fact he had just embarrassed the crap out of me and was loving every minute of it.

I narrowed my eyes at him threateningly before slamming the door. Shoving my face into my pile of clothes, I screamed—the sound mixing in with the whine of the heart monitor.

"Right," I said after releasing my pent up frustration, "where's my gun?"

Throwing my clothes on the bed, I sifted through them looking for my weapon. I didn't find the pistol, but Ronnie had been kind enough to put my Thunder Materia in the right, front pocket of my pants. Wonderful. Grasping the tiny, yellow rock, I strode over to the heart machine.

"Clear," I muttered.

A little bit of concentration and a bolt of electricity arched from the Materia and into the machine. It crackled and sputtered as it went crashing into the wall behind it. The lights in the room also flickered from the sudden surge of power; but, luckily, they didn't go off. The machine was now nothing more than a smoldering pile of rubble. Much better.

A tiny knock sounded from the door.

"Saan?" Tseng's voice asked.

"Tseng," I replied as I moved over to the bed to get dressed, "if you come through that door the next thing I throw is going to be a lot bigger than a bed pan."

After I had finished getting dressed, I walked over to the door and swung it open, a big grin plastered on my face.

"Now, you can come in," I said cheerfully to the two men standing in the hallway.

They entered, albeit hesitantly, as I walked back over to the bed. When I began looking for a bandage for my arm (perhaps ripping out the IV was a bad idea), I noticed both Tseng's and Ronnie's eyes fall to the dead heart monitor.

"It wouldn't shut up," I mumbled. Ah-ha! Bandage!

"That's coming out of your paycheck, you know," Ronnie grumbled, "Like that ceiling came out of mine..."

"I don't care."

Tseng frowned then looked at me, "President Shin-Ra wants to see you."

I yanked the surgical tape a little too hard and wound up pulling off more than I needed. I suppressed a growl as I roughly ripped off the piece of tape anyway. I refused to answer Tseng. The President had left me to die. If I never had to see his ugly face again, I'd have been happy.

"Ronnie, how long have I been here?" I asked, ignoring Tseng.

"Uh," Ronnie stuttered, "about three days. They said you lost a lot of blood, and that if some dude hadn't—"

"You're not going?" Tseng asked suddenly. There was no craftily avoiding him, was there?

I stared hard at him before sighing, "Tseng. That man left me to die. I took two fucking bullets for him and he didn't so much as give me a thank you. He just ran right past me and never looked back. Forgive me if I feel a little resentment."

"He was shot," Tseng said.

"What?" I asked.

"The President was shot. Later. After what happened to you. He managed to get to the safe room, but AVALANCHE still got to him. He said you tried to warn him before the speech and that he didn't listen. That's why he wants to see you. He wants to thank you."

"Tch. Little late for that," I muttered as I put the medical tape away. "Tell you what, Tseng," I began, "I'll go see him. But I will never guard that man again. Verdot can be pissed off at me all he wants. But _I_ _will not_ _guard that man_."

I pushed my way past a stunned Tseng and left the room without another word; Ronnie followed right on my heels.

"Saan!" Tseng called after me, but I kept going.

Ronnie walked up beside me and gave me a worried look, "Don't ya think we should...? I have a feeling he wants to give you an award on TV or something. I can't imagine he'd want the public thinking he's a coward."

I rolled my eyes, "Ronnie, that man would never give anyone an award... Not unless it's Sephiroth. Then, maybe. He seems to like Sephiroth for some reason."

Ronnie leaned back and stroked his chin thoughtfully. I raised my brow. He was being way to comical today.

"Right... Well, consider the obverse. You get surveillance tapes. You give it to the news crew, along with your," he poked my shoulder, "obvious damages. How do you think Shin-Ra'd look then?"

I stopped walking and gave him a confused look, "What?"

He ran ahead of me and started walking backwards, "Yeah! Like...Maybe he thinks you're possibly thinking of going to AVALANCHE now. Shin-Ra runs everything. They've got a monopoly on Mako. If the public wanted to—Oof!"

I had to hide my snicker with my hand. It was too good. Ronnie had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed the man who had just come around the corner. Sephiroth meet Ronnie.

Ronnie turned around to apologize, but when he saw the stare Sephiroth was giving him, he quickly shut his mouth and backed away. I smirked and walked over to the General.

"Hello, Sephiroth," I said, having a familiar sense of _déjà vu_.

Sephiroth's attention diverted from the cowering fool in front of him to me. I was shocked to see his eyes soften a bit.

"Saan," he greeted. "I see you're back on your feet."

"Yep," I replied. "I'm not entirely sure how, though."

"He's that dude," Ronnie stuttered as he inched his way behind me, "with the strong Cure Materia."

I looked over my shoulder at him. I knew Sephiroth looked intimidating, but Ronnie was totally overreacting. Plus, he was doing it right in front of the guy. Talk about rude.

"The huh?" I asked.

"It was like _-zap!-_," Ronnie began with a weird motion of his hands, "and you stopped bleeding. Like, instantly, the holes started to close."

"You weren't there..." I trailed off. "How would you know?"

Ronnie grinned triumphantly, "Hojo has some. I've seen him reach for it sometimes, when he's mixing really dangerous materials. It's... Pretty strong stuff. Remember that Potion you had? Imagine bathing in it."

I twitched as I remembered my hand healing itself from the inside out. The muscle and flesh reattaching itself. It was... Ew.

I shuddered, "I'd rather not, thank you."

"If you'll excuse me," Sephiroth interceded, "I have a meeting with the President."

He bowed his head a little, then turned on his heels and walked briskly away. I blinked as Ronnie and I stared after him. Wait a minute...

"Yo, wait up!" I called after him, my hand raised in the air.

He looked at me over his shoulder, one brow raised in question, as I jogged up beside him.

"I have to speak with him, too," I smiled. Even though, deep down, I imagined myself burning the fat bastard on a stick over a campfire.

Sephiroth frowned a little, "...fine."

"What about me?" Ronnie called out behind us.

"What about you?" I asked, "_You _didn't save the President!" I stuck my tongue out at him.

When I turned around my eyes widened. Sephiroth had already made it to the elevators and was pushing a button. What part of 'wait up' did that man not understand? I waved a hand at Ronnie and ran for the elevators. I barely managed to squeeze in before the doors shut on me.

"Thanks for holding the door," I mumbled.

"You're welcome," Sephiroth replied.

I blinked. Had he used sarcasm just then? It was hard to tell since he said it in the same tone he normally used, but it sure the hell seemed like sarcasm to me. I was shocked. He didn't seem like the type. In fact, Sephiroth reminded me a lot of Tseng. Just...stricter, if that made sense.

Silence enveloped the tiny elevator as it ascended. I hated silence. I looked over at Sephiroth. Once again, his arms were crossed in front of him and he was staring at the doors. He noticed my gaze and looked at me.

"Thank you, by the way," I blurted out.

His eyebrows rose, "For what?"

"For not letting me die," I looked back at the doors. "I was awake, you know. When you healed me. I don't think you knew that, though."

Silence passed between us for a few more seconds before he finally replied.

"You're welcome."

That time it wasn't sarcasm.

—**FFVII—**

When Sephiroth and I arrived at the top floor, I made it a point to hide behind him at all costs. Not because I was afraid to see the President. No, I was afraid that if I did see him, I'd wind up throttling him. So, why not use the six foot plus guy to use as a big, black and silver curtain?

Shin-Ra was the only one in his office besides Sephiroth and myself. The General walked right up to his desk and wasted no time in getting to the point. I, on the other hand. I found myself occupied with the various objects spread out on a table nearby.

"You requested to see me, sir?" I heard Sephiroth ask.

"Yes, I have a few questions about that girl you ran into in Junon," Shin-Ra replied. "You said she was strong. How strong?"

"She's as strong as I am."

_Oooh,_ I thought to myself as I prodded one of the bangles on the table. _Someone as strong as Sephiroth. So scary. _My eyes fell to a black armlet with a blue jewel in the middle of it. The only thing strange about it was it seemed to be hinged. Like it could be clamped onto an arm rather than be pushed. _Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is about the guy._

Sephiroth and Shin-Ra continued talking about some elf girl as I picked up the armlet that had caught my eye. It wasn't as heavy as it looked. A neat little design ran along it that seemed to stem from the jewel and work its way around. I cocked my head to the side. What harm was there in putting it on?

I pushed up my right sleeve and placed the bangle on my arm. Ha, what do you know? If it closed it would actually fit.

_Snap~!_

I squealed as I realized the armlet had just attached itself to my arm. Then, realizing I had squealed loud enough for the other two men in the room to hear me, I spun around and made sure to keep the armlet'd arm behind me. Both of them had stopped talking and were giving me curious looks.

"Sorry," I whispered and walked quickly behind Sephiroth—keeping my head down the whole way.

Shin-Ra wasted no time in getting back to whatever it was they were talking about.

"AVALANCHE's attacks are getting far worse than what was predicted," he grumbled as he got out of his chair. "It would be a disaster for this company if they attacked this building here."

As he continued talking, I focused all my attention with prying the damn armlet off my arm. At first, I tried simply tugging on it. When that didn't work, I moved to yanking. When that didn't work, I moved to yanking, tugging, and clawing while silently praying that Shin-Ra didn't walk in my direction anytime soon.

For whatever reason he had decided to pace around the room. All I needed to make my life worse was for the idiot to catch me and think I was trying to steal something of his... When, in reality, the thing was trying to steal me. I was pretty damn sure of it.

"I see you found my newest toy."

I screamed. Like, high-pitched girly scream. My head whipped around so fast, the room spun. Subconsciously, I squeezed the armlet as I laid eyes on the strange scientist man who had mysteriously poofed behind me.

Everything happened in less than a second. A familiar noise reached my ears and I had just barely registered it as the sound all of Ronnie's gizmos made before I felt something crawl up my arm and spread to the rest of my body. Then that same something had wrapped itself around my head and eyes.

I yelped, grabbed a hold of the object on my head, and flung it. It barely missed the head of the man standing behind me and slammed onto the ground a few yards behind him. He merely blinked.

I gaped at the strange object on the ground. It looked an awful lot like a helmet. A black helmet with two pointy 'ears' sticking out of it. Shocked, I quickly looked down and noticed the same strange, black metal was covering my whole body, not leaving an inch exposed beneath my neck. I looked back up at the scientist in front of me.

"What the hell is this thing?" I screeched.

"That," he replied nonchalantly, his voice like fingernails on a chalkboard, "is my newest experiment. And since you're wearing it, that means you are, too."

**A/N: -evil grin- CLIFFHANGAR! Sorta. Bwah hahaha. And, ohmygawdHojo. -shudder-**

**Some of you might recognize most of the events in this chapter. It is loosely based off what really happens in Before Crisis with President Shin-Ra. I say loosely because all I know ****o****f it are what I read and what I saw in Advent Children Complete. ACC just has a scene where he gets shot and goes, "I can not die yet. Call in Sephiroth!" ...Like Sephiroth can save him after he's already been shot. Ok, technically he could since he has Cure3 and Life2, but come on.**

_**Edit: I enjoy reading my stories more when I do it slowly, pause at all the punctuation, and can't remember what I was trying to say so that I don't speed-read. And now I must get dressed before going to US History I. I took II before I…bass-ackwards, as always.**_


	12. Codename: Anubis

**Author's Note: Hola! I have returned. I'm very curious to see how this chapter fairs with my readers. Some might like it, some might dispise me for it. -shrug- Ah, well. I finally got to the thing I most cared about. :3******

**Reviews: Adorkable93- Yes, it was a fast update. Sadly, they can't come very often. ****Rai-neko-dono- Do not worry. You are close to Hojo in creepiness. o3o. And, yey, praises ^.^.**  
**hyourin-kusabana- I'm glad you liked the suit. You'll be seeing a lot more of it. Kekekeke.**  
**crystalfeathers- Indeed. (Once again, short, simple, and to the point.)******

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or e-bay. I do however own this plot and an immune system that likes eating itself. -noms on Ibuprofen-**

_**Edited on 6 Oct 2010 for errors and goofs. Oh, and I don't nom Ibuprofen anymore. I suffer the pain. Better than getting immune to the drug and possibly exploding my stomach. :D.**_

"Hojo," Sephiroth growled.

"Hojo," President Shin-Ra mimicked, "will you please explain to me exactly _what_ it is I am seeing."

If I hadn't been so freaked out about the new body suit I was wearing, I would have been relieved that Shin-Ra hadn't given a damn about me accidentally stealing the darn thing. But, then again, I didn't think the armlet had been his to begin with. It most likely belonged to the Hojo fellow standing in front of me.

Hojo gave each of us a disinterested stare before walking around me, hands clasped behind his back as he moved towards the President's desk.

"What you are seeing, Mr. President, is the object I wanted to show you," Hojo replied. "No one I have tested it on so far has been able to use it. I had hoped that Sephiroth would have been able to make the infernal thing work; but," he trailed off and looked at me, "it seems that this Turk has been able to figure it out."

"How do I get it off?" I growled at the man.

Hojo ignored me and turned his attention back on the President, "The Science Department has been working on the object since we discovered it. Up until now, we only had the armlet itself to work with."

Hojo looked back at me, or, more specifically, the metal suit wrapped around my body, "With the armlet's power in use, we'd have a lot more to work with." He looked back at the President, "If I may, I'd like—"

"Listen to me!" I finally snapped.

I knew where the greasy scientist was going with his speech. He'd said it himself. He wanted to experiment with whatever was on my body, and if I couldn't get it off, then I'd become part of the experiment as well. No way in hell was I going to become some lab rat for some kooky scientist. My life was not going to become part of a horror movie.

Hojo's eyes cut lazily to me, "My, aren't you impatient."

"How. Do. I. Get. It. Off?" I growled through clenched teeth.

"I don't know," Hojo purred, "the same way you got it on?"

"I don't know how I got it on!" I screamed.

Hojo smirked. He looked like the devil. Not that I knew what the devil looked like, but there was a strong possibility he looked like a smiling Hojo.

"Then I'm afraid I can't help you, girl. Not yet, anyway. If you were willing to become my next specimen—"

"She's a Turk, Hojo," Sephiroth finally spoke up. "She's not like your other _experiments_."

Hojo cast Sephiroth another disinterested look, "This is between me and the Turk, Sephiroth. Your opinion is not needed."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at the scientist. His look combined with my glare... I was amazed that Hojo hadn't burst into flames already. Faced with so much hatred, and he was still able to keep his cool.

"Enough," Shin-Ra commanded. "Hojo, why is your department so interested in that _thing_, anyway? How can such a flimsy little suit of armor benefit my company?"

Hojo looked briefly at the President. The look they shared gave me an impression that whatever was about to be said was a big secret. Hojo then turned his head towards Sephiroth.

"Sephiroth, leave, this doesn't concern you," Hojo commanded.

"Hojo," the General growled, "I—"

"Leave, boy!" Hojo snapped.

I jumped a little at the sudden outburst. The look Sephiroth gave Hojo was full of malice. Without a word, the General turned on his heel and stormed out of the office. I stared after him, suddenly afraid. The Almighty Sephiroth, who—according to Shin-Ra—could blow up an entire building with only a wave of his hand, had just walked away from Hojo. What was worse? The General hadn't even stood up for himself. He had to have been in his mid-twenties, and yet he'd behaved like a child getting sent to his room. What was with that Hojo guy? How come he had so much control over Sephiroth?

After Sephiroth had disappeared down the stairs, my eyes fell to the helmet I had thrown earlier. It didn't much look like a helmet. Two long, pointed ear decorations poked out of the top of it, while two, curved points descended from near the cheek area. Then there was a strange snout like feature that would have gone over my nose...had I not thrown it from my head. Oddly enough, there weren't any eye holes to be found on the thing. I frowned. It looked an awful lot like—.

"You found it at the crater, didn't you?" Shin-Ra's voice interrupted my thoughts.

Hesitantly, I looked over my shoulder to see Shin-Ra had moved over to the windows behind his desk. Hojo remained at his place beside the desk. It seemed bossing Sephiroth around was as far as he was willing to push his luck.

"Yes," Hojo replied. "I'm actually surprised we didn't find it back when we discovered JENOVA."

I frowned thoughtfully. Who, or what, was Jenova?

"It was merely laying out in the open around the mouth of the crater. I'm pretty certain that, like JENVOA, the device is related to the Ancients. Perhaps some form of weaponry they used?" Hojo mused.

"Or, maybe it is merely the defensive part of the outfit. A staff was also found with the device. A peculiar thing. It only has slots for three Materia. Unfortunately, one slot is taken up by a white Materia that simply refuses to budge from its spot. It's as if the orb is fused to the metal itself. No matter. I'm sure the suit you're wearing," Hojo looked at me, "more than makes up for the staff's uselessness."

I glared at the man, "You are _not_ doing experiments on this thing with me still in it."

"Unfortunately," Shin-Ra interrupted, "that's not up to you, Ms. Darnell. Hojo, do you think that suit she's wearing can aid SOLDIER?"

"I am certain, Mr. President," Hojo replied.

Shin-Ra nodded, "Saan, as of today, you are to be entrusted into the care of the Science Department."

"But—"

"No, objections!" Shin-Ra snapped, "I am the head of this company and you _will_ listen to me! Do I make myself clear?"

My eyes narrowed as I stared at the man. How dare he? I had never felt so much anger before in my life. If the suit hadn't been protecting my hands, I'm sure my nails would have dug into my palms, I was clutching my fists together so tight. Who the hell did the man think he was? I was a human being! I had rights! He couldn't just order me around.

However, I didn't know how to remove the suit. That was the only thing Shin-Ra was interested in. I suppressed a growl as I realized my best bet _was_ to go with Hojo to his little lab. He was a scientist. He was smart. He must have known _some_ way to get the bloody armlet off my arm. _Dammit!_

"Is that clear?" Shin-Ra asked again, eyes narrowed.

"Crystal," I hissed back.

Hojo smiled, "Excellent. Then if you'll just follow me, _girl_, I can start my new experiments."

I glared at Hojo as he passed me on his way to the stairs, a small smile of triumph on his lips. Little fucker. I'd show him. He wasn't about to do any experiments on _me_. I threw one last glare over my shoulder at the President—which he didn't see—then walked over to the helmet. I bent down and picked it up.

That's when I noticed the Materia embedded into the back of the suit's right hand. As I stood back up, I looked at my left hand. It, too, had a Materia embedded into it. I couldn't tell which spells they were, though. Around each Materia a ring had been etched around it; and, stemming from that, were lines that went up and around my fingers. Frowning, I turned my hands over and noticed the lines descended from my fingers to the middle of my hand, where another ring was etched into the metal. Odd.

Ignoring the strange 'markings' of the suit, I grabbed the helmet with both hands as I walked towards the stairs. A dog's head. That's what it reminded me of. And not just any kind of dog. Straight, pointed ears; long snout. A jackal. A black jackal. I smirked as I placed the helmet back on my head.

At first, I couldn't see anything, but in less than a second my surroundings flickered back. I hadn't been expecting that and I nearly tumbled down the remaining stairs to the sixty-ninth floor.

"Whoa," I muttered as I put my hands out in front of me.

The helmet had no holes for eyes and yet, somehow, it was transmitting whatever I was seeing to my eyes. Maybe that was how those Shin-Ra SOLDIERs saw with those goofy helmets of theirs. Realizing I probably looked like an idiot with my arms out in front of me like a zombie, I let them drop to my side and walked towards the elevators. Hojo was waiting for me, tapping his foot impatiently. I narrowed my eyes at him—aware of the fact he couldn't see the gesture.

"You ain't in more of a hurry than I am, old man!" I called out to him. "The quicker you get this thing off me, the quicker I can leave."

He only grinned before stepping into the elevator.

—**FFVII—**

"Interesting," Hojo cooed as he inspected my hand.

Never before had I had such a strong urge to scream and run from someone, but with Hojo... The mere thought of him being anywhere near my 'personal bubble' made me squirm.

The Science Department of Shin-Ra took up two floors: floor sixty-seven and floor sixty-eight. Floor sixty-seven contained the main headquarters for the department; along with the cells that Ronnie and I were brought to when we had first arrived in the building. Ah, fond memories.

Floor sixty-eight contained the main lab. It was also where Hojo brought me to begin his 'experiments.' So far he hadn't really done anything. Just told me to sit on one of the tables and let him see my hands. I didn't want the guy touching me; but, I figured, the suit would protect me from any nasty germs the scientist had. Plus, if it lead me one step closer to getting rid of the strange armour, I was all for it.

"Revive Materia," Hojo muttered to himself.

"Huh?" I asked.

The man gave me a frown, but explained anyway.

"The Materia embedded into the right hand of this suit is a low-level Revive Materia. It's only able to cast the spell 'Life.' Sephiroth has a high-level version of this same Materia."

"So... It..." I frowned. "You mean there are Materia that can bring people back to life?"

"There are all sorts of Materia. I shouldn't be surprised that someone like a Turk would know so little about the magical orbs," Hojo continued.

I glared at him.

He turned my hand over—following the lines etched into the metal. "Odd."

"What is?" I asked quickly. If there was something wrong with the suit, then please get it off.

"These lines are meant to channel the energy of the Materia to the palm of the user. That's not necessary for the Materia Shin-Ra uses, as the orbs respond automatically to the user's whims and act accordingly."

"_Well_," I offered, "maybe they didn't work so well way back when."

Hojo dropped my hand and frowned at me, "The little Turk likes to eavesdrop, I see."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Kinda hard not to when you're the only other person in the room."

The scientist leaned his head back, looking at me over the edge his nose. Ignoring my comment he moved over to my left hand. I clenched my teeth together as he began inspecting the Materia on that arm. Hojo grinned suddenly. I didn't like when he grinned. I figured nothing good was going to come from whatever he was grinning about. Ever.

"Destruct Materia," he mused, "and a high-level one at that." He didn't wait for me to ask what that meant, "This particular Materia is able to use the spells DeBarrier, DeSpell, and Death."

My breath hitched, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Hojo. He smirked.

"You literally have the power of life and death in your hands," he dropped my hand and walked over to a desk nearby, picking up a clipboard before walking back, "and it appears that, whoever used this suit before you, preferred the darker of the two options."

Life and Death in the palms of my hands. I had to admit, having the Life Materia wasn't that bad of a thing. It'd make war, well, a lot more livable. Death, on the other hand; I didn't want it. That particular Materia had no place with me. I feared death—for me and for others. For me, having the Destruct Materia was like being afraid of a snake while carrying one on my neck. I wanted it gone.

"How do I get rid of it?" I asked again.

Hojo blinked, "You're willing to give up the power that suit gives?"

"I'm not a power hungry bastard like you are," I replied.

The scientist only stared at me. Shrugging, he said, "What did you think when you put on the armlet?"

I frowned, "You think that it operates on my thoughts?"

"You're smarter than you look," Hojo smiled. "That's exactly what I'm thinking. I had speculated that the device might operate that way; yet, no one who has used it so far has been able to make it work using that method. But, then you came along. If you were able to operate the device with merely your thoughts, that means my hypothesis was only partially correct."

I dreaded to ask, but I had to, "And what's the other part?"

Hojo turned his attention back to the clipboard, "Most likely something in your genes. Perhaps your brainwaves are different, though I don't understand why that would be the case. I can't be sure without doing some tests."

_Get off._

A metallic sound was given off as I felt the suit leave my body and the helmet disappear from my head. I watched that time as they turned into a black dust cloud that dissolved into the blue orb sitting in the armlet. Though the suit was gone, the armlet remained clamped onto my arm. I clenched my teeth together as I glared at it while Hojo gave it an appraising look.

"Simply amazing," the scientist spoke as I tried desperately to claw the object from my arm, "it's as if the suit is comprised of microscopic pieces of metal."

"Nanomachines," I growled. The armlet simply refused to come off my arm.

Hojo frowned, "The Ancients didn't have that kind of technology, _girl_."

"Well, it's the only thing that fits!" I snapped, banging the armlet against the table. "Maybe it belonged to that Jenova person."

"That's impossible," Hojo snapped back. "JENOVA was an Ancient as well; naturally, she wouldn't have technology superior to others of her kind. I could spend all day telling you just how wrong your pathetic little mind is, but since that information is classified..."

"I don't think you have much to worry about," I glared at the man. "Since I don't know what the hell's going on anyway, and _why won't this thing come off my arm?_"

Hojo gave me a blank stare, "It's probably fused to your flesh."

"What?"

"If you're really desperate," Hojo smirked, "I could remove it for you."

My eyes widened, "No!"

He frowned, "A shame. If you're unwilling to give me a specimen, I guess I'll just have to settle for a blood sample."

Hojo placed his clipboard on the table next to me and went back over to his desk.

"Yeah, you do that," I mumbled as he picked up a syringe.

He walked back over to me and, without warning, grabbed my right arm roughly. My eyes widened. What? No antiseptic; no stretchy tie-off thingy; no gauze to prevent bleeding afterwards? No Band-Aid? Not sanitary!

"Ow!" I exclaimed as he jabbed the needle into my arm. "That hurt, ya ass!"

"Stop your whining," Hojo barked as he pulled the plunger back, "SOLDIERs go through worse procedures than this and don't complain."

I frowned. Oh, do they now? I was going to have to ask one of them about it later. After I found out where to pick off SOLDIERs for random questioning, that is. Wait a second.

I stared at the blood filling up the syringe. I was from a different planet, and even though Ronnie and I looked and sounded like Gaians on the _outside_, what if we weren't the same on the _inside_?If something strange _did_ come up in my blood tests, they—Hojo especially—would want to know why. They'd ask questions. They'd demand answers. I knew they'd do anything to get them.

As Hojo pulled the needle out of my arm, I started having doubts about his simple, little blood test. I didn't know if I should stop him or not. Just beat him over the head with his clipboard, take the syringe, and run. I wouldn't have gotten very far, I knew; but, I could still have destroyed the sample. _Idiot_, I scolded myself. Even if I managed to destroy the sample, they'd catch me and just do another one. Maybe add on a few tests just for the hell of it. No, I realized, it was better for Hojo to have only one vial of blood. I'd just have to pray nothing 'bad' came up.

"As of today, you are no longer a Turk," Hojo said as he placed the vial in a tray with a lot of empty tubes.

"What?" I asked, "Why?"

"That suit's powers are far too strong for a Turk. They are best suited in SOLDIER."

"I can't—"

"I have already arranged a meeting with the Board to discuss the matter," Hojo continued, completely ignoring me. "Verdot and Lazard might not like it, but who cares what they think? They're nothing. The only thing that matters is that the idiot President sees eye-to-eye with my research and is willing to transfer you over."

"I can't join SOLDIER!" I exclaimed. "I'm not strong enough! Besides, I can barely do my missions as a Turk."

"Strength isn't an issue," Hojo said as he turned to face me. He was smirking again. "We have ways to solve that problem."

I glared at him. That sentence had sounded an awful lot like a threat—a threat to my health.

"Those ways better be advanced training," I warned.

Hojo just smiled back.

—**FFVII—**

Ronnie was already at the house when I got home. He was sitting on the couch watching TV, but when he heard the door shut behind me he turned towards me and grinned. I snorted. He was going to ask the question he always asked whenever one of us got back from work.

"How was your day?"

Such an innocent question with such an innocent face in such an innocent tone of voice. My eyes briefly wandered to the ceiling. _This is your form of a joke, isn't it?_ I thought bitterly. Sighing, I decided it would be better to show Ronnie how my day went, rather than try and explain it.

By then it was easy for me to call up the suit—or however one would explain it—and dismiss it. I had practiced in the elevator. I had actually wanted to break the damn thing. I thought that, maybe if I put it on and took it off fast enough, it'd break somehow and fall off my arm. Then, I could gladly hand it back over to Hojo and return to my life as a crappy Turk. But, no. The armlet's resilience was matched only by its determination to make my life a living hell.

It took about a millisecond's time from the moment my ears heard the then familiar metallic sound of the suit til the time Ronnie's eyes nearly bulged out of his head and he was up-and-over the arm of the couch headed for the floor. I blinked behind the helmet. Ronnie hit the floor with a loud thud that was quickly followed by a yelp.

"What the hell is _that?_" He asked hysterically as he pushed himself off the floor.

"My day," I replied nonchalantly. "How was yours?"

"But what _is_ _it_?" He asked, completely ignoring my own question.

"A suit of armor. What does it look like?" I replied as I crossed my arms in front of my chest—a very odd sensation with a layer of metal wrapped around my body.

Ronnie frowned, "Alright, smart ass. But what... Ok, _where_ did it come from? How 'bout that?"

"I have no idea."

"How do you not know where it came from? Weren't you there when you got it?" Ronnie asked confused.

"_Oh_," I said sarcastically, "you mean where did _I_ get it from. I got it indirectly from Hojo."

Ronnie's face became a clean slate—an expression he usually did as things started to sink in for him. It was usually followed by an 'oh, shit' face. Yep, there it went.

"In fact," I continued despite the look, "I have become Hojo's new experiment because _this thing_," I hissed as I shook my right arm, "won't come off my fucking arm!"

Ronnie was silent for a moment, "Uh, Saan?"

"What?" I nearly barked.

"You do know what Hojo does...to people...right?" He hesitated.

I gave him a blank look. I had already had my suspicions with Hojo. Hell, I had had my suspicions with a lot of people who worked for Shin-Ra. I had had suspicions _about_ Shin-Ra! Nothing Ronnie could say would surprise me. In fact, I was starting to think that nothing could surprise me anymore. Not with my latest...developments.

"Grinds their bones to make his bread?" I asked.

Ronnie frowned again, "He's not a ogre."

"He looks like one," I deadpanned.

Ronnie laughed, "True. But seriously, you don't want him messing with you."

"I think you have that the other way around, Ronnie," I replied as I walked into the kitchen.

Had I threatened Hojo enough? I was pretty sure I had made my point. Hojo wasn't going to do any of his bullshit experiments on me. Not while I was still alive and kicking. Even if he and Shin-Ra tried anything, I had a feeling that the suit I owned would make them sorely regret it.

Ronnie followed, stopping beside the doorway and propping himself up against it, "How'd he make it? And, since when did Hojo become so interested in _our_ Egypt?"

"He's not interested in a place that doesn't exist, Ronnie," I replied as I opened the refrigerator door.

"So, the fact that you slightly resemble the Egyptian god of the dead is a coincidence?" He asked sceptically.

"Yes," I replied, staring absentmindedly into the fridge, "as to how he made it; he didn't."

"He just found it?"

"Yep. And then I found it, and like an idiot, I put it on."

We were both silent for a moment. The gears within my mind started clicking. Why would Ronnie be interested in how Hojo made it? Well, that was obvious. The armlet used some means to make a full-body suit come out if its tiny self. Ronnie's own gizmos pretty much worked on the same basis, only the metal they used actually expanded and contracted instead of dispersing. He more than likely wanted to know how Hojo had done it so he could make his own crap work. I slowly closed the refrigerator door—any interest in food long gone.

If Ronnie, a lowly Turk with hardly any scientific background was interested in the inner workings of the device on my arm, then Hojo was—without a doubt—interested. The scientist, since he'd had access to the armlet for God knew how long, had probably run extensive tests on the object. Those pieces of metal Ronnie had been picking up? They were probably failed attempts to replicate my device. I frowned. That didn't make sense; Hojo hadn't learned to operate it. Unless he had lied about that bit of information.

"So," Ronnie interrupted my thoughts, "how are you going to use that suit for the Turks? It'd make missions a whole lot easier."

"I'm not a Turk," I replied, a little too quickly for my liking.

"What?"

I pulled a chair out from the kitchen table and sat down, propping my feet on the table, "I'm not a Turk anymore."

"They fired you?" Ronnie asked disbelievingly. "Why? Because of the armlet?"

"They promoted me," I replied bitterly.

"Promoted you? To what?"

"SOLDIER."

Ronnie's eyes widened, "Oh, come on! I'm not even a Turk and they promote you to SOLDIER!"

"You _are_ a Turk," I said, my eyebrows raised in confusion.

"Not an _active_ Turk. I sit at a desk all day," Ronnie replied, then added, "Okay, so I get to go on missions outside the building, but that's _extremely_ rare and sometimes I go wandering into the labs to steal some metal so I can make gadgets—"

"Ha!" I shouted pointing at Ronnie. It was such a quick response I'd actually managed to make him jump a little. "I _knew_ you were getting that crap outta the trash cans!"

"I don't get it out of trash cans!" Ronnie said defensively. "I get it out of _waste_ _baskets_," he nodded. "There's a difference."

"Yeah, sure there is," I mumbled. "Look, I don't think you should be doing that anymore."

"Why not?" Ronnie pouted.

"Because you don't know where it comes from," I stared at him. "_Other than_ the lab 'waste baskets'. Like I said before, that stuff could be radioactive and you'd have no clue until you started vomiting up blood and spasming as it ate away at your spinal cord."

I knew by then that the stuff wasn't radioactive, but I had to say _something_ to steer his curiousity away from the labs; and, ultimately, away from Hojo.

"Yeah, yeah. _Sure_," Ronnie rolled his eyes as he strode back into the living room.

"I'm warning you," I threatened.

"And it's about as believable as a kitten taking down a wolf. You worry too much, Saan," he replied blankly as he returned to watching television.

I frowned. He wasn't going to listen.

—**FFVII—**

The meeting with the Board of Directors Hojo had brought up wound up being later that night. Asshole wound up calling me to remind me. It wasn't as if he'd told me a time earlier in the day, or anything. He had sure made it sound that way, though. He'd also given me express orders to not activate the suit until I was away from all other employees. According to him, it'd keep them from panicking. According to me, it'd allow him and the President to keep me a secret.

I snorted as I walked towards the elevators. Not that they'd be able to do that for long. Sure, I could be Saan by day and Secret Agent Saan/Experiment by night, but there was one thing that remained the same. The armlet that rested on my right arm. It wouldn't go away. Plus, my voice and hair would be the same. It wasn't _Sailor Moon_. Putting on a tiara wasn't going to make me suddenly unnoticeable. Anyone with half a brain could piece two and two together.

Even if I covered up the device with my sleeve—which I was and it looked hilarious bulging out—It would show when the suit was activated. And, if by some strange chance someone—other than Ronnie or a Director—saw it from under my sleeve later on. Ding, ding, ding! My cover was blown. Personally, I didn't give a damn. Not my company. The President on the other hand would have definitely cared. I smirked. Oh, how I'd loved to have seen his face when that happened.

Stepping into the glass elevator I pressed the button for the sixty-sixth floor. As soon as the doors closed I summoned the suit. Being in a glass elevator didn't deter me. I knew the only people who would see would be those on the ground; and, being fifty-nine floors up into the air, they couldn't see me. My cockiness about being so stealthy quickly vanished when the elevator stopped at floor sixty-four.

My eyes widened a little as the doors opened. The all white outfit was a dead giveaway even as the doors had only cracked a few inches. I felt like crumpling to the floor and melting through it. Anything to get away from the boy that now stood in front of me, a slightly shocked expression on his face.

Of all the people who had to walk in on me before my 'big reveal,' it _had_ to have been Rufus. The kid who I had spent a week of my life guarding. A simple suit and helmet would not prevent him from recognizing me; I was sure of that. As he stepped into the elevator and stood beside me every inch of my body was screaming except for my mouth. I had to get out of there and fast, or I was screwed.

Before I could even consider rushing out of the elevator and using the stairs, the doors shut closed and I was stuck with Rufus. I remained stock still and didn't utter a word. I kept my head forward so it appeared I was looking at the door when, in reality, I was glancing at the boy from the corner of my eye. He was staring at me—trying to figure out what or who I was. The way his eyebrows were drawn together in thought almost made me sweat. I could almost see the gears turning in his head.

"Saan?" He asked suddenly.

Shitty-shit, shit, shit. _Open, doors,_ I silently commanded. Thankfully, they did for we'd reached the sixty-sixth floor. Without a word, I sped-walked out of the elevator and towards the conference room. Rufus didn't call me back and I hoped that was because he thought he'd made a mistake. The last thing I needed was for the blond to spill the beans before the President and Hojo had. They'd most likely find some way to take it out on me for ruining their dramatic moment.

A man cleared his throat somewhere near me. I felt tingling sensations crawl up my spine. Only one person could have had that kind of effect on me. Slowly, I turned and spotted Hojo standing a little ways from the conference room door. His look was commanding me to come towards him. I scowled but obeyed.

"What?" I hissed quietly. Though Rufus hadn't pursued me further, he had been going to the same destination I had. The last thing I needed was for him to recognize my voice.

Hojo gave me a look, but continued, "You are not to utter a word." Hojo nodded towards Rufus as the boy entered the conference, "I know you are already aware that there are a few people attending this meeting that can easily identify you with your voice."

"Rufus identified me without that much information," I mumbled.

The look Hojo gave me was frightening.

"I didn't answer him," I added quietly. "Hopefully he thought he made a mistake."

"That boy's smarter than you give him credit for," Hojo warned sourly.

"I'm quite well aware of that," I replied. "But I don't think he'll say anything if he's not one-hundred percent sure."

Hojo was frowning, but at least he looked a little satiated with that response.

"Wait here until I call on you." He said as he walked towards the conference room door, "and, I repeat, _do not_ utter a word to _anyone_."

I snorted as his greasy head vanished from my sight. He didn't have to tell me twice. I already knew what danger I would be in if I screwed up _again._

I wound up standing outside the conference door for nearly ten minutes. A few employees had passed by me, but none of them said a word to me. In fact, all of them took the time to walk completely around me; avoiding me like the plague. I felt giddy by the fact that they all feared me just because of the suit I was wearing. It was hilarious. The way I managed to stand completely still only increased my creepy factor, it seemed.

The door creaked a little as someone opened it, and I turned to face Hojo. He was holding the door open with one hand while the other was outstretched towards the room. I snickered inwardly. Grand entrance, eh? He was having way too much fun. I obliged him and entered the room.

And back the intimidating feeling came. Standing in front of the Board of Directors was creepy as hell; even if I was wearing a suit that made it nigh-impossible for them to tell who I was. Everyone was sitting in a chair, which forced me to stand at the end of the table as all those high school graduation jitters started coming back. My hand tightened around my wrist as I held it behind my back.

The group sitting around the table I almost instantly recognized. I had seen the same group exiting the same room when I first arrived at the Shin-Ra Building. Back when I was getting arrested for breaking and entering. However, right then I got to see all of them up close; and, boy, was it an eclectic group.

Little name tags stood in front of them as they sat at the table. My eyes darted quickly to each and every name tag as Hojo shut the door. President Shin-Ra and Rufus were no-brainers, as was Verdot. The other people, however, I didn't know.

First, there was Palmer. Another fat, balding man who—according to his name tag—was the head of the space program. He was incredibly short for his weight, and the combined effect made him...well...extremely creepy, in my opinion.

Heidegger, too, was a big man—the tallest of anyone present—with black hair and hideous beard that made me think of a logger. He was responsible for public safety.

Reeve, a slightly attractive, dark-haired man, reminded me a lot of the Robert Downey Jr., most specifically for his part as Stark in _Iron Man_. So far, besides Rufus and another blond man, he seemed to be the only normal person there. He was head of urban development.

The blond man with the glasses was Lazard. He didn't seem all that happy to be there. But, then again, he was the director of SOLDIER, apparently, and I was the one being forced on him. I wouldn't have been too happy, either.

My eyes paused as they spotted the name tag in front of the only other woman in the room besides me. _Scarlet_, I thought bitterly. She was a blonde woman with blue eyes, well-endowed, and wearing a scarlet dress (appropriate) that made me wonder how she didn't fall out of it. What shocked me was that she was the head of the Weapons Development Department. I glared at her, silently glad that she couldn't see the expression. So, thay ho was the one responsible for destroying my two-hundred-something million dollar plane. My hands twitched as I resisted the urge to strangle her.

"So," Scarlet sneered as soon as Hojo stood beside me, "_this_ is your new project, Hojo?"

Heidegger laughed loudly, the sound piercing the room like nails on a chalkboard.

"I'm a little disappointed," Scarlet continued. "With all the money your department gets, I would have thought you'd come up with something better. Mr. President, I beseech you, stop wasting your efforts on—"

"Silence, woman," Shin-Ra snapped.

Scarlet pouted but remained quiet. I barely managed to catch my smirk in time.

"This device I did not create, _Scarlet_," Hojo said, completely unfazed by the woman's antics. "It was merely found alongside an area frequented by the Ancients."

An amusing reaction spread across the room. As soon as the word 'ancient' was muttered everyone suddenly seemed intrigued by what Hojo had to say. I almost shook my head. It was like e-bay. Take a piece of toast and put it up for auction. Naturally, no one's going to buy it. But, if you say it has Jesus' or Jay Leno's face on it, everyone wants it. It was pathetic.

"So," Palmer spoke up, "you're saying that it has some ties to those old people, or whatever." His eyes were sparkling in amazement. That only made him look creepier.

"Who cares," Scarlet snapped as she folded her arms. "Keyword: _old_. What makes you think that pitiful excuse for armour can do _anything_. I'm telling you, Mr. President, my—"

Shin-Ra cast her a hard glare and the broad quickly shut up. It was obvious he didn't give a damn what Scarlet had to say. At least, not in matters concerning money. I was pretty sure that was what she was begging for since she brought up the funds Hojo's department was getting.

"This suit," Hojo almost growled, "is more advanced than your pitiful little mind could possibly fathom, _woman_."

Scarlet glared at him, her teeth obviously clenched. Such murderous looks. I was amazed thie company managed to stay on its feet. The way its Board of Directors were going at one another, one would have thought it'd've crumpled a long time ago. But, somehow, still it stood. The dark spot on the world of Gaia.

"Then please," Heidegger asked, "show us, Hojo. Why is that suit so important and special that it needs all of us to come here today?"

"Indeed," Scarlet purred sardonically, "show us."

I saw the President nod at Hojo. Hojo then stepped away from me a little and I figured that was my cue to 'do my thing.' I almost laughed at the amount of gasps that emitted from the people gathered around the table as my suit literally dissolved around me and went back into the armlet. The only one that didn't look at least a _little_ surprised was Rufus. He was wearing a proud smirk. I figured he was silently congratulating himself on figuring it out before anyone else.

"Saan?" Verdot exclaimed as he stood up quickly from his seat.

I didn't know what to say. I thought about greeting him with, 'Hey, boss.' But, he wasn't my boss anymore. I didn't even know who my boss was. Was it Hojo since I was half-property of the Science Department? Or, was it the Lazard guy who was staring at me with a confused look? Jeez, talk about confusing.

"Sit down, Mr. Verdot," Shin-Ra commanded.

The old Turk leader looked at him uneasily, but complied. Palmer was grinning like a maniac and almost bouncing in his chair in excitement—once again, creepy. Heidegger had a pleased look on his face; apparently the suit was up to snuff for him. Scarlet looked _royally pissed_ at having been shown up by someone like _Hojo_. The President and the scientist seemed extremely pleased with themselves for showing everyone _else_ up. Rufus...

Rufus resembled a cat that had just found a mouse and enjoyed merely staring at it, its tail swishing back and forth as it considered eating the rodent or not. I didn't want to know why I was receiving that look.

Reeve seemed a little surprised, but he didn't seem too much interested. Then again, being urban development, SOLDIER probably meant nothing to him. Lazard. Oh, ho, Lazard. He didn't know what to make of me, I could tell that much. He cast a look at Verdot, then back to me, then Verdot, then Hojo. Rufus glanced briefly at Lazard before his gaze jumped back to me.

Scarlet twitched before exploding out of her chair, "Big deal! So this _girl_ can cause some old ass suit to do a disappearing act. I don't see what this has to do with anything! How can _she_ benefit this company?"

"Oh, shut up," I finally snapped.

Scarlet sputtered before staring at me, mouth agape. Everyone else was giving me equally surprised, yet amused and relieved expressions. Feeling that everyone was with me, I continued.

"You've obviously lost," I said coolly. "No one gives a damn what you have to say, so just sit down and shut up."

"Well, I—" Scarlet stuttered before she was interrupted by clapping.

All eyes turned to a smirking Rufus as he clapped slowly, "Bravo, Saan. I couldn't have said it better myself."

"Mr. President!" Scarlet screeched, her face turning as red as her name.

"Scarlet," Rufus interrupted sternly. He shifted lazily, staring at the blonde with cold eyes, "Do as she says. You're trying my patience."

"I agree," Shin-Ra replied. "No more interruptions. The next outburst I hear from you and your department's funds get cut in half. Do I make myself clear?"

Scarlet fumed silently but plopped back down into her chair, crossing her arms and pouting in a way that was anything but cute.

"Continue," Shin-Ra nodded at Hojo.

Hojo explained how he'd found the artifact—leaving out Jenova for some reason—and that for the longest time he couldn't get anyone to activate it. Then he explained how I had managed to make the thing work, yada, yada. All the same stuff I had heard at least twice in the same day.

Everyone remained silent as he talked. Scarlet still looked pissed; Heidegger was stroking his beard thoughtfully; Palmer was still bouncing; Reeve seemed to be dosing; Verdot looked upset; Lazard was frowning in thought; and Rufus was still giving me that cat look. I thought about making a face at him, but I knew everyone would see me do it and that would have been awkward.

". . .I believe this suit would do well in the SOLDIER program," Hojo's voice broke through my thoughts. There we went.

Verdot frowned deeply, "You can't just make that decision on your own, Hojo. Saan is a Turk, and as such—"

"Wrong," Shin-Ra interrupted.

Verdot turned his attention to the President, "Sir?"

"As of this morning, Saan became the responsibility of the Science Department. She is not a Turk."

"You want to transfer her over," Lazard spoke, his voice smooth yet stern. Shin-Ra gave him a look.

"That is exactly what I intend to do," Hojo replied. "You must admit, Director Lazard, this suit has abilities unlike any SOLDIER currently contains. I believe it will benefit your department greatly."

"You just want to see how far you can push it," Lazard said. He nodded at me, "See how far you can push _her_. I won't be a part of it."

"You deny the suit's power?" Shin-Ra asked, obviously agitated.

"I don't deny that that armlet of hers is, indeed, something. But so far I have yet to see how it could effectively aid SOLDIER," Lazard replied calmly. "Besides, even if the suit _is_ powerful enough, it _itself_ can't join SOLDIER. Saan would have to. She's only a Turk and, from the looks of her, she's simply not strong enough."

"Let me take care of that," Hojo smiled. "I'm sure with a few Mako injections she'll be able to join the program."

I glared at the scientist. I couldn't help it. Mako was the fuel that Shin-Ra ran on, and the old man wanted to stick it in my veins? It was like taking gas and pumping it into me. That just wasn't healthy. Mako injections couldn't be, either. I'd seriously injure Hojo before he got anywhere near me with a needle full of the stuff.

"Have you tested her to see if she can withstand that procedure?" Verdot asked, clearly believing the opposite.

"As of yet, no," Hojo replied. "But her blood tests showed favorable conditions. Plus, the fact that she was able to activate an artifact that no one else could makes me very certain that the injections will work."

I bit my lip to keep from scoffing. One should never assume, old man.

"Why don't you let her decide what _she_ wants?"

Everyone looked at Reeve. He hadn't spoken a word since I had stepped into the office. In fact, I was pretty sure that damn near everyone had forgotten he was there. Shin-Ra actually looked like he was considering the man's words. Hojo, however, looked extremely upset. He knew I'd probably not do it.

Lazard turned and faced me, his hands clasped together under his chin, "Well? What do _you_ want?"

I didn't really have to think about it. I'd had all of Hojo's monologue time to think. Being a Turk was hell. Not that it was hard or anything, I just hated it. The only plus sides to the job were Ronnie, Tseng, Reno and Rude. Ronnie because he was my best-friend; the only one left from Earth. Tseng was...kind of like the solid pillar that held everyone together. I liked that. Reno was amusing even if he was a tad annoying at times, and Rude was almost always by his side putting up with his antics while providing his own on occasion.

SOLDIER had Zack, Sephiroth, and Angeal. I didn't know them that well, but they seemed interesting enough. Plus, from what I'd understood, SOLDIER tackled tough things; like war and monsters. They didn't go around targeting random people from the populous. And the magic tricks Sephiroth had done the day Shin-Ra got attacked were neat. The suit had power like that, according to Hojo. Why shouldn't it belong in SOLDIER?

I smirked, "Yeah, I'll join."

Shocked expressions came from all around this time—Rufus most of all.

"You understand what those words mean," Verdot cautioned.

"Yeah," I replied, "I go from you to Lazard. Hojo tries to poke me with a few needles. I go through intense training to make me as strong as possible. I become," I looked at the President, "your secret weapon. The enigma that travels through the night eliminating what you don't want your poster boy, Sephiroth, to handle. No one will know my true identity except the select few here. Am I right?"

Shin-Ra's smile was every bit of devilish. I'd hit the nail on the head with that one. Why else would I not be able to be seen by others on my way here? Other than 'scaring them.' It didn't take a genius to see what they were up to. Just a person who was used to schemes and politics. As for how far I would go in becoming Shin-Ra's 'dark knight,' I had yet to choose.

"You are exactly right, Saan. I'm glad you agree," Shin-Ra replied.

Lazard sighed. "Very well," he said defeated, then looked at Hojo, "when can she begin training?"

"I'll begin the Mako injections tomorrow," Hojo replied. I almost snorted. _Sure_ ya will...

"Before that," Shin-Ra interrupted. "You will need a name. Your SOLDIER identity is to remain separate from your identity as a Turk and as a citizen. If people were to find out that your powers were not your own, they would not hesitate to take that armlet away from you. By any means necessary."

He paused to let that sink in. The only thing I managed to envision was Hojo coming at me with a chainsaw.

"Oh, please," Rufus rolled his eyes. "Don't you think you're going a little bit overboard, Mr. President?"

"I don't know," Reeve interjected. "If AVALANCHE knows Saan's identity from her saving the President a few days ago, I don't think they would hesitate to try and take her out. Especially if they learned she'd joined SOLDIER because of an Ancient device. They'd figure her weak, and attempt to take it from her. Keeping a different name and identity might be a good idea."

Rufus frowned at Reeve, but knew he had a point, and so remained silent. Hojo looked around the room before his eyes fell back to me.

"So," he drawled, "any suggestions for a name to go with our mysterious new warrior?"

Palmer's hand was the first to go up into the air, "Oh, oh, oh, VIXEN!"

I twitched and slowly leaned back as I stared at him. My actions did not go unnoticed by Rufus; the boy smirked.

"How 'bout, Bitch?" Scarlet grinned. _How 'bout, Slut?_ I thought as I narrowed my eyes at her.

"How about, Chew Toy?" Rufus asked as he continued smirking. "Or Bullet."

"How about not," I replied, frowning at him.

"It should be about her appearance," Heidegger nodded thoughtfully, once again stroking his beard.

I looked at Verdot. He remained silent, a frown deep on his face as he stared at Lazard. Lazard was rubbing his eyebrows in annoyance as the other members kept bouncing ideas off each other. Reeve also remained silent, yet, I could tell he was slightly amused by his colleagues antics. I sighed. I had the perfect name; I didn't need them to come up with one for me. Especially not Palmer.

"Anubis," I spoke loudly so they could hear me.

All of them paused and looked at me. They were silent, waiting for me to explain.

"Where I come from," I continued. "Anubis is...a character from a story. One about gods and goddesses. Anubis was the god of Death. He protected souls of the dead as they traveled to the afterlife. He judged their hearts with a scale. If their hearts were heavier than the magical feather he used, it meant that they were unworthy, and he'd feed them to a giant pet he had. If their hearts were lighter, it meant they were pure, and they could move on."

I summoned the suit once again. A few of the people at the conference table jumped a little. I was able to see why with my reflection in the screen behind the President. When the suit's visor, or whatever it was, powered up two 'eyes' glowed yellow. I smiled. Not only effective but also creepy. The suit was growing on me.

"Hojo's already informed me," I continued as I held up the my hands, showing the two Materia to the rest of the group, "that I hold the power of Life and Death in the palms of my hands. I think the name's kinda fitting. Plus, the fact that Anubis is a black dog, it works with the appearence, as well."

Hojo smiled, "Interesting. I haven't heard that story before. It _is_ very fitting."

Shin-Ra nodded, "Very well. From now on, when you are in that suit, you are to be called Anubis. Reports and papers shall address you as such. Verdot, you may keep your records of Saan. In fact, I encourage it. That way it doesn't appear as if she simply vanished. Lazard, I want her to have the best training. That suit's powers must not go to waste. Hojo, begin her Mako injections tomorrow."

All three men nodded accordingly.

With that, Shin-Ra dismissed everyone from the meeting. So, I was a part of SOLDIER then. Interesting. I wondered how many girls were in SOLDIER. I hadn't seen many. Then again, it was meant to be Shin-Ra's elite fighting group. I doubted they'd let girls join.

I didn't dismiss the suit after I got out of the conference room. I figured since Anubis was officially part of the Shin-Ra company, there was no sense in hiding it. Plus, I wanted to see the expressions on people's faces when I strode by them looking like the Egyptian god of death. I got some deranged pleasure from scaring the shit outta people. Before I could go forth and terrorize my fellow workers, however, I was called back by Rufus.

"Anubis!"

That was going to take some getting used to. I turned around and faced him anyway.

"What?" I asked.

He walked up to me, "You actually joined SOLDIER. I wasn't expecting that from you. Volunteering to be Hojo's little puppet like that."

"I did no such thing," I smiled. "That greasy man won't lay one finger on me."

Rufus' brow raised in amusement, "Oh? Hojo has a way of getting what he wants. He always does. He knows exactly what buttons to push to make my father agree to anything he says. Tell me. How do you expect not to become his next plaything?"

"Simple. He knows I'll shove my foot so far up his ass he won't be able to see straight."

The kid's eyes widened a bit before he gave a brief chuckle, "I see your near-death experience didn't change your attitude."

"Why would it?" I asked innocently, smiling. "S'not like it was to knock some sense into me or anything."

Rufus' face became blank. After all that time I spent around him, I wasn't surprised he'd picked up on my habits. Often when I played innocent, I was being sarcastic; and, often when I was sarcastic, I was angry about something. I was a little proud that Rufus had learned something about me after I'd left. My face became as serious as I felt.

"Tell me, Rufus. How did you find out about my accident?" I asked.

He frowned. "My father was shot that day, too. Naturally, anything that happened from the moment he and those with him left the Shin-Ra Building up until the moment he returned was looked over and recorded."

"So," I said looking off to the side, "you found out through reading some reports."

"You shot a man," Rufus ignored my comment. "You killed him. Did you know that?"

"I shot him in the head. Of course I knew," I replied looking up at him.

"I thought you said you didn't want to kill anyone," Rufus smiled. The same smile he always gave while he was toying with someone.

"I also shot him in the knee first, did you read that part?" I asked, unfazed. "That second shot I fired came after he shot me. Do you know where I was shot, Rufus?"

The boy remained silent.

"The lung. The left lung, to be exact. Had it been any higher I'd be dead right now. Hell," I said with a chuckle, "if it wasn't for Sephiroth, I'd be dead right now. But, that's not what gets me, Rufus. What gets me is how you knew that I needed to load my gun that day."

Rufus twitched. It was such an insignificant movement on his behalf, but it gave him away. He knew exactly what I was talking about.

"Lucky guess?" Rufus half-asked.

"No." I answered solemnly. "Rufus, you warned me because you knew what was going to happen. I don't doubt if you helped set it up, either. But, I don't care. Because _you warned me_. The fact that I got shot I can't blame on you because I was the one stupid enough to put an enemy's safety above my own. However, I can thank you. And I do."

I held my hand out for him to shake. Rufus stared at me uneasily before his eyes flickered down to my hand. He stood there, staring at my hand for a good while before saying:

"You're so full of shit."

And with that he turned around and stormed away. I dropped my hand and smiled. The thought of Hojo trying to pump my veins full of power wasn't terrifying. Rufus suddenly changing his ways overnight... Well, let's just say if he had shook my hand, I would have ran for the hills. And, considering how far from any hills Midgar was, I'd have ran for a long time.

**Author's Note: No, the device did not belong to Jenova. No, the white materia isn't Aerith's and is not related to it. Yes, I will eventually get to the staff. I'm working on finishing the armor drawing. Then I'd have to find a scanner... and upload it. -sighs- My back is **_**killing me**_**. Damn arthritis.**

_**Edit: So…tired. 9:49 at night. Bedtime is 10. So early for a twenty-year-old college student ;-;.**_


	13. Lots of Questions

**Author's Note: This chapter may or may not mean anything to you, since it's kinda long and doesn't really have many of the characters you so love (unless you love Saan, and in that case -hugs- I love you, too); however, it is essential. Just on what part, I'm not completely sure. This particular chapter sort of wrote itself. I guess that's what happens after I read **_**Inkheart, Inkspell, The Thief Lord, Peter Pan in Scarlet, **_**and about two hundred pages of **_**The Complete Collection of Sherlock Holmes**_** (which is roughly one thousand pages of tiny, tiny font). This is my life without Internet...**

**Also, thank all of you who reviewed. I can't remember all of you at this moment and I'm a little pressed for time; but, love you bunches. -hug-**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, **_**Peter Pan**_**, Superman, nor anything else I mentioned that I do not own... I honestly can't remember what I mentioned. Anways, if it's not Saan, or Jerry, or a suit and staff, I do not own it. Lawls.**

_**Edited on 7 Oct 2010 for errors and goofs. I'm supposed to be reading Chapter 11 of Film Studies. Shh. Don't tell my teacher.**_

I had looked forward to having a grand tour of the forty-ninth floor. Since I was in SOLDIER, I wasn't afraid to go up there. In fact, I was giddy with excitement. Think of all the fun toys the boys got to play with! It reminded me a little of when I had been in Girl Scouts. The Girl Scouts sold cookies; went to firehouses; did nice things for little old ladies. While the Boy Scouts…the Boy Scouts got to go outside, start fires, pitch tents, and shoot arrows and BB guns. I hated Girl Scouts.

Unfortunately my tour was going to have to wait. I was scheduled for my 'Mako injection' _thing_, and before that, I couldn't do shit. I hadn't even managed to run into Sephiroth again. I had wanted to tell him I was 'in.' That I had joined of my own free will and that Hojo hadn't stuck me full of wires and tubes—yet. But, the General was nowhere to be found. Neither was Zack. I had a funny feeling those two would be scarce for quite a while. Attacks against Shin-Ra had been increasing—among other things.

I had thought that Director Lazard was going to accompany me to my date with the kooky scientist, but he wasn't. He had other business to attend to, and, according to Ronnie, no one ever watched Hojo when he did _anything_. Except, maybe a few other scientists.

I'd gotten a little worried because of that. I mean, who didn't watch the crazy people when they were doing stuff to make sure they didn't fuck somebody up? I would've if I was running the business. But, I didn't run the business. Shin-Ra did.

That explained a lot of things, I came to realize. It was an excuse I had long since made-up for my own corrupted company. 'Anytime something comes up, or something unbelievably stupid happens, just blame it on the President's idiocy and all your problems are solved. You'll never have to worry about it again.' Wow. That was just how most Americans used to think, too. Before they all got blown up.

But, I digress.

When I entered Hojo's lab, he was nowhere to be found. Hallelujah, no shots for me. Not that he would have given me any in the first place; I had already vowed I'd fight him tooth and nail before that happened. Still, the relief at not seeing his greasy head was still there. I figured since no one else was there to greet me I could just turn around, leave, and lie to Lazard about the shots—until Hojo tracked me down, that was. But as I turned, I spotted the syringes he was going to use on me. Shocking? They were.

I couldn't believe my eyes as I stared at the strange, glowing liquid within them. I had never seen Mako before. Ever. I'd heard it used before in sentences, and I'd known Shin-Ra had 'a monopoly' of it like Ronnie had said, but, I'd never actually seen what it was. To say it terrified me was an understatement. I'm not even sure I knew why I was scared of it. Probably because it was glowing; probably because they wanted to stick it in my veins. Whatever the reason, I found myself quickly backing away from the table on which it sat.

"Anubis, you're earlier than I expected."

I jumped forward about a foot and spun around to stare daggers into Hojo. He couldn't see the metaphorical daggers because of the suit's helmet, but they were still there and they were embedding themselves into every damn wrinkle on his ugly face. Hojo frowned at me, cocked his head back, and stared at me for a second before stalking his way over towards the table. If one could consider the way he walked stalking...that slight slouch of his kind of ruined what he was going for. I watched him wearily as he approached the Mako-filled syringes.

"These," he said as he picked up the needles, "are merely the samples I will use to see if you are suitable for the real procedure."

I thought about keeping silent, but curiosity got the best of me, "And why do you have to test that stuff on me before you can do the 'procedure'?"

Hojo walked over to a nearby table and placed the syringes down. He then looked at me, "Mako, just like any other drug, has its side-effects. Some people are not able to withstand the liquid in their veins and, therefore, are unable to join the SOLDIER program because of that. Only those strong of body and mind can handle it."

I snorted, "And you think I'm strong of body and mind? That's funny. Really, it is."

"Your blood is appealing, Anubis," Hojo said, smiling mischievously and completely ignoring my sarcasm, "it's very similar to every other person's blood on Gaia. However, there is one _small_ difference."

I held my breath at that. Something _had been_ different in my blood. That wasn't good. Hopefully, it hadn't been anything _too_ different to catch Hojo's eye. If it had been, I might just become his new experiment after all. Then again, since he was bringing it up that must have meant it already had caught his eye. Yeah, definitely not a good thing.

"In fact," he continued, "I'm certain that that small difference is what allows you to control that device whereas the other's couldn't. Are you familiar with DNA?"

"Deoxyribonucleic Acid. It's the code within our bodies. It gives us our parents' looks, tells the cells how to build themselves into organs, and a whole heckuva lot of other things that I can't quite remember."

Hojo nodded, "You're well educated. Where were you schooled?"

"At home," I replied, remembering what I had told Reno. "Science was always my favourite subject."

Hojo 'hmphed.' He probably thought I was trying to flatter him, but I wasn't. It really was my favourite subject—followed closely by math. I'd hated English. I had still made A's in it, but that hadn't stopped me from despising those damn sentences our teacher made us write everyday when we first got to class. Semi-colons had been my worst enemy. Never could quite figure out where those damn bastards went.

"Am I right in assuming you're familiar with Mitochondrial DNA?" Hojo asked.

I paused before answering. Yes, I was familiar with it. Mitochondrial DNA was the DNA sequences found within a cell's mitochondria. Forensic scientists used it to identify long-dead bodies. Mitchondrial DNA was also passed down from a person's mother. Since mitochondrial DNA was passed from mother to mother and so-on and so-forth, scientists on Earth had used it to trace back human lineage. Unfortunately, I wasn't on Earth, and had no idea what the scientists of Shin-Ra had done with it. So, I had to settle with a short and simple:

"Yes."

Hojo smiled, "Good. Then I won't have to waste my breath on explaining it to you. Your blood results showed that your mitochondrial DNA is different from a majority of the people on Gaia. It's a tiny variation, but it's still a variation nonetheless. As a person familiar with science, what do you think of that?"

He was toying with me. A child could've figured that out. He was trying to set me up into exposing myself—telling him all my dirty little secrets. Well, it wasn't going to work. All I had to do was find a way to say what he wanted without fucking myself over. Simple, yes?

"I think," I replied calmly, "that it means my mother was different from a lot of other people's. And her mother before her, and her mother before her. And, hell, probably her mother before her. What is that? My great-great grandmother? Do you know how often mitochondrial DNA mutates?"

Of course he did, he's a scientist. _Idiot_...

Hojo smirked, "Not _that_ often, I assure you, Anubis. Before I begin these injections, I wanted to ask you if your family has ever experienced anything strange before."

"Like what?" I hesitated.

"Oh, hearing voices. Strange relationship with Materia. Able to use magic more easily than a lot of your peers."

I smirked, "Nope. I'm pretty sure that there _is_ a chance certain members in my family have heard voices, but that would be from psychosis."

Hojo frowned and gave me a look. If I'd have ever looked at myself in the mirror before that moment, I would have been one hundred percent certain that was my 'you're an idiot' look. Unfortunately, I never looked in a mirror when giving that look; I was usually looking at Ronnie.

"A shame," he muttered before picking up a syringe.

He walked towards me, glowing needle in hand. I remained stockstill as I glared at him from under my helmet. He frowned again.

"You're going to have to remove the suit, Anubis," he said blankly.

"You're not pumping my veins full of that stuff, Hojo," I replied coolly.

"Oh?" Hojo cooed, "But I think I am. You were ordered to come here for these injections, and you came. Now, you're going to get them. There's no changing your mind in Shin-Ra, _girl_. It's about time you learned that."

I was about to open my mouth and protest that Hojo was acting way too dramatic and his Mafia-style antics wouldn't affect me when Hojo looked behind me and nodded his head. The next thing I knew I had two scientists on me, forcing my arms behind my back and slamming me over the table in front of me. I growled at both of them—men from what I could tell—as I thrashed around. One was focused on keeping my arms held painfully behind my back while the other was keeping my chest and head pressed against the table. Teeth clenched, I shot a dirty look at Hojo as he came around to my side of the table.

"You really should stop squirming, Anubis," Hojo said nonchalantly. "If the needle pierces your neck too violently, you might injure yourself."

"Hojo," I growled, kicking futilely at the men behind me. One yelped as my foot collided with his shin, but his hold never slackened. Perhaps I should have aimed a little higher. "If you come anywhere near me, so help me—"

He wasn't stopping, and the smile on his face was starting to seriously creeping me out. I wondered what would happen if I jerked too much when he shoved the needle into my neck. What was the time allotted to someone who had their jugular cut? A few seconds?

"Hojo," I squirmed more, that time screaming. It was difficult for the scientists to hold on to me, but unfortunately, they were still managing. "I swear! If you put that shit in me—"

He roughly grabbed a hold of my head and held it still, "Anubis, I'll warn you again. Squirming is a very bad idea when receiving a shot."

My heart was beating so fast, I thought it was going to come out of my chest. Perhaps I _ should_ have listened to him. Just allowed him to stick the needle in me the old fashioned way—through the arm and not the neck—wait out the reaction and then go about my life with glowing veins. It was just a simple procedure that every SOLDIER went through. There was no need for me to react so violently at the thought of it. But, I had. And the reason I had was because, I didn't know why, but whatever was in that needle was not supposed to go in me. I could _feel_ it. It sounds crazy, but it's the truth.

I tensed up right before I felt the needle prick the skin on my neck. Doctors and nurses always tell people never to do that. I didn't give a damn. Maybe I thought that if I squeezed my neck muscles tight enough the liquid couldn't get in, or it'd just squeeze right back out, like snake venom. Leave it to my stupid suit to cover every area _but_ my neck and mouth.

The Mako was only in my veins for a second before everything locked up. And by everything, I mean my body. All the muscles, all the nerves, everything seemed to go into shock. Ever had shots before that _burned like hell_ going in? Phinigrin's a good example. Yeah, think that, but ten times worse.

I screamed—loudly—before I fell to the floor, knocking over one of those metal surgical trays in the process. I didn't even wonder why the scientists had let me go so suddenly, or why them and Hojo were giving me surprised looks; I was too busy flopping around on the floor like a fish to care. I couldn't see; I couldn't do anything. My body was moving of its own accord, my eyes burned, my ears were ringing. Images seemed to flash before my eyes so fast that it would have caused a seizure had I not already been having one.

As I twitched violently on the ground, trying to make sense of what was going on around me, my brain vaguely registered the sound of a yelp and something shattering on the floor. Then I felt it again. That strange sense of dread I'd felt earlier before Hojo'd injected me with the Mako. On instinct, I flipped myself over—smacking the ground a little harder than I'd aimed to—and tried to crawl away. My vision was finally coming back, the flashes had stopped, and my body was only shivering. Everything had happened within a few seconds, but it felt a lot longer than that.

Looking back, I saw something I hadn't expected to see. Both the unknown scientists that had grabbed me were over in a corner, cowering, while Sephiroth had a hold of Hojo's wrist in a vice grip. The General looked far from pleased while the scientist was trying his damnedest to look unimpressed—though it was obvious he was scared shitless. Despite how crappy I felt, a small spark of elation hit me when I saw that expression on Hojo's face. _Yeah, take that, ya bitch_.

I took a quick look at the floor to see the other vials Hojo had planned to use on me lying broken on the floor—near my feet. That explained the shattering noise I'd heard.

"Hojo," Sephiroth spoke calmly, "May I ask, just exactly_ what_ you think you are doing?"

I could see Hojo's jaw clench. "My job," he answered cooly. "As you should be doing yours, _Sephiroth_."

The General's hand only squeezed tighter, "I _am_ doing my job. Lazard assigned me to take Anubis to his office for debriefing. She'd been taking too long so I decided to see what was keeping her. I was quite surprised by what I saw."

Hojo frowned and roughly ripped his hand from the General's grasp. Sephiroth let him. "I was merely giving her a Mako injection. It's not my fault that she responded the way she did to the liquid."

"You know that's not what I meant," Sephiroth replied cooly.

Hojo gave him a look before walking away, "You can take the girl back now, Sephiroth. I'm sure Lazard would like to get his work done _on time_. I'd hate to be the reason for the Director to get yelled at by the President."

Sephiroth stared into the man's back before walking over to me and offering me his hand. I was still shaking a little as I stared at it. He didn't honestly expect me to get up and follow after him after my body had just gone through that trauma, whatever it was, did he?

"Come on," he said. "Let's go. Lazard's waiting."

Yes, yes he did. I tried to push myself off the floor so I could take his hand, but I ended up falling back down. It took me two other tries, but eventually I managed to push myself up on my knees. That was about as much as I could manage.

"Uh," I croaked. I tried to clear my throat. "I'd love to and all, but my legs aren't quite working right at the moment. Maybe if you could just drag me to the doors, or the rest of the way, we'd get there a lot faster."

Sephiroth blinked, but bent down, grabbed me under my left arm, and hoisted me to my feet. I nearly stumbled back down and had to latch myself onto his arm to keep from falling face first to the floor again. So much for a free ride.

"By the way," Hojo called as I was trying to separate myself from the General without falling, "you know what her reaction means."

Sephiroth didn't even bother to respond to that, but I could still feel him tense up. I, on the other hand, was not going to put up with Hojo's taunting. He'd nearly killed me for all I knew, and what kind of self-respecting person would I have been if I let him get away with it without at least yelling a few choice words at him?

"Yeah, well—" I began, trying to turn around to face him. I wound up smacking the helmet's snout on the General's arm. Growling at my clumsiness, I snapped, "If you come at me with that crap again, I'll fucking kill you. Ya hear me?"

I saw Hojo open his mouth to respond, but Sephiroth roughly jerked me forward as he walked quickly out of the lab. He led me towards the elevators; me stumbling along beside him as we went. When the doors parted for us to enter, he nearly chucked me inside. I let myself bounce into the wall on the other side. I was too sore to give a damn.

After the General had pushed the button for the fifty-ninth floor, he whirled around on me. My eyes widened a little. He looked _pissed_.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He growled.

I stared at him blankly. I had no idea what he was upset about, let alone what he was talking about.

"Huh, what?"

"Why did you join SOLDIER?" He hissed.

Oh, so that wass what he was upset about. To him, one moment I was a scared little Turk who'd wound up with a strange device wrapped around her body, and the next I was an equal. Ok, maybe not an equal, per se, but a SOLDIER member at least. It was shocking to me, but it had to be worse for him considering how he was the General and probably hadn't even been informed of my transfer until a few minutes before he'd saved my ass. Again.

"Because I wanted to," I replied nonchalantly.

He scoffed, "Do you have _any idea_ what you've gotten yourself into?"

"I have a clue, yes. Why?"

He frowned a little, then turned around and faced the doors again. I stared at him as he stared intently at his reflection—clearly trying to ignore me. My frown deepened.

"Why?" I repeated.

"Do you know what the results of your tests were back there?" He asked blankly.

"...Poor, I guess. I'd consider falling to the floor and screaming one's head off a poor rating for a test. Why? Is that going to affect anything?"

Sephiroth shook his head before looking at me over his shoulder. He seemed to be contemplating something, but I couldn't quite make out what. Whatever it was, he finally decided to clue me in.

"Do you know how much Mako he injected you with?" Sephiroth asked, yet it didn't sound like a question. More like a rhetorical question; one that he was about to elaborate on.

"Considering how fast the time was between pin-prick and burning pain, I'd think not much. Barely any, actually. Why?"

"I've seen Mako reactions before," Sephiroth continued, "I've seen Mako poisoning before. None of which were as bad as what I saw happen to you, and none with such a small dosage."

I frowned thoughtfully. Uh-ohs. Saan had bad reactions to Mako. _Really_ _bad_ reactions. Was it because my DNA was different? No, that couldn't have been it. Because, if I remembered correctly, Hojo had actually thought that there was something in me—DNA, no doubt—that would have allowed me to practically bond with the glowing liquid, yet the reverse proved true. If it hadn't been my DNA, then what? The simple fact that I came from another planet? What _was_ Mako, anyway?

"So," I replied, ignoring my inner monologue, "if I have such strong reactions, what does that mean, _exactly_? I mean, as a SOLDIER, what does it mean?"

Sephiroth frowned, "It means you aren't a SOLDIER." He held up his hand when I tried to object, "The President might say you are, Hojo might say you are, but, other than on paper, you're not. SOLDIERs are pumped full of Mako to make them stronger, faster, and more capable of doing the jobs that are required of them. You can't have Mako injections—you'll die."

"You're saying," I interrupted, a bit angry, "that because I can't have green, glowing liquid pumped into me, that I'm not going to be good as you, or any of the others for that matter?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Sephiroth replied as the elevator doors opened at floor fifty-nine.

If looks could kill...nothing would have happened, technically, since Sephiroth was already leaving the elevator and his back was towards me, but had he been looking at me, he would have dropped dead. At least, I thought he would. Who knew, maybe he really was Superman and his only weakness was kryptonite. There was Earth, there was Gaia, maybe there really was a Krypton floating around out in space and I could fly to it, pluck the kryptonite from it, and then come back to Gaia and throw it at Sephiroth. But, that was highly unlikely. Luckily, I had something better than kryptonite. I had Materia. But, upon reaching for it, I realized it was in my pocket, which was inside my suit...which meant I couldn't get at it. Dammit.

We took the other set of elevators to floor fifty-one. The entire ride I didn't say another word. I was too busy fuming. Eventually, the doors opened. I followed Sephiroth as he walked to a translucent door with '51' printed on it. I snorted. Let's state the obvious, shall we? He waited for me briefly, and seeing that I was actually following him, he took a step toward the door and it swished open. Waiting for the both of us on the other side was Lazard's office, and, of course, Lazard himself. The Director was sitting at his desk, a very computer-worthy thing at that, and was fooling with one of the screens. Upon seeing me enter, he quickly pressed a button on the console. I figured he was trying to hide something he didn't want us to see.

"I see you made it alright," Lazard commented.

I laughed, much to the surprise of Lazard. He looked uneasily at Sephiroth, who, in turn, looked at me. I grinned, "If you consider having a seizure alright, then yes. Everything went smoothly, sir."

I held my grin as Lazard frowned. "What?"

"She had a reaction," Sephiroth explained.

"A _severe_ reaction," I smiled.

"A severe reaction," Sephiroth corrected. "Worse than anything I've ever seen. And you know I've seen enough."

Lazard sighed, "That's not good."

"Why?" I broke in. Lazard looked at me, frowning again. I ignored it as I walked slowly towards him, my hands behind my back, "Because that means that your new warrior is a little weakling compared to everybody else? Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions, _sir_?"

Lazard stared hard at me as I continued to approach. He tried to say something but I held up my hand just as Sephiroth had done to me. "Save it. Sephiroth's already told me. Now, listen here, Mr. Lazard. I have no idea how strong your SOLDIERs are. I only know what I've seen with Zack, Angeal, and Sephiroth, and I can tell you right now, that wasn't much. Granted, Sephiroth did save my poor, pitiful self, but he did that with an aid of a rock. Now, other than a few big muscles here and there, what makes these men better than me, huh?" I placed my hands on Lazard's desk and leaned down towards him. "And don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be sexist," I smiled.

Lazard and I stared at one another briefly before he smiled, too. "You want to prove yourself."

"Bingo," I replied. "Big whoop. I can't have Mako injections. I can still use magic, I can still use martial arts, and I have an ancient suit that nobody else has. Who's to say that, with the aid of some training, I can't be as good as your little boys, huh?"

"I have no problems giving you training, or even a little test, if that's what you so desire," Lazard replied calmly. "That's not what worries me."

"And what does?"

"Your safety."

I frowned as Lazard pushed himself up from his desk and began to stalk around the room. I, however, remained with my hands on the desk, watching him silently as he continued.

"You're smart and headstrong, I can see that. I can also tell you're well-educated and because of that, surely you can see where I'm coming from. As Director of SOLDIER, I am responsible for everyone under my command. People die, that's a way of life, but _my boys,_ as you call them, are well-equipped to withstand situations that, for other people, would be quite lethal." He had walked over towards another desk, near where Sephiroth was standing. He looked over his shoulder at me, "The Mako in them allows them to withstand those situations. You, however, do not and cannot have Mako put into your system. What does that say?"

I looked away from him and down at his desk, "It means that I _am_ weaker than your SOLDIERs. That I probably always will be, unless this suit makes up for the defensive qualities the Mako gives SOLDIERs. Offense I can easily make up for with a weapon and some Materia, but the defense will always be an issue. You're worried about that. But why? Because you're a good man and don't want to lose anybody, or because it'd look bad on the report sent to the higher-uppers?"

I looked back over my shoulder to see Lazard smiling faintly, "Believe me. I don't give a damn what the President thinks, and I wouldn't go around calling myself a good man."

I stared at him a little more before turning my attention back towards his desk. Something caught my eye. Something I hadn't been expecting to see. The screen wasn't facing me, and it had a cover on it that made it difficult to see anything from the angle I was at, but what I could make out was a word. A name, in fact. A name borrowed from a word that usually wasn't used unless talking about a certain book.

Genesis.

I quickly stood up and turned away from the desk. If I continued to stare at it, Lazard might have grown suspicious. He was still looking at me as I tried to get my thoughts away from the name and back to the topic at hand.

"So," I said, "how about a deal? You allow me to join SOLDIER, more than just saying so on paper, that is, and I try my damnedest not to die? How 'bout that?"

"Why are you so insistent on joining SOLDIER?" Sephiroth finally spoke up. It was clear on Lazard's face that he wanted to know the answer to that question, too.

"Because I hate the Turks," I replied.

Lazard frowned, "Funny. Verdot said he was hesitant to let you go."

"No, I doubt that," I replied. "And if he was, it wasn't because he valued me. I had a habit of botching my missions. I think the only people going to miss me will be Tseng, Reno, and Ronnie. On second thought, Reno probably won't. He's got Rude to keep him entertained. Ronnie definately will, though."

"Why?" Lazard asked. "Who's Ronnie? Another Turk?"

"The only friend I've got left from a world long ago," I replied solemnly. I almost chuckled. There I was, going dramatic as well. Eh, why not? I could have my fun, too.

Sephiroth and Lazard looked uncomfortable, something that did not escape me. Sephiroth more than Lazard. It was hard to tell what Sephiroth was thinking most of the time, he was so good at masking any and all emotions, but what he did do was obvious to anyone who paid close enough attention. Basically, fan girls, Hojo, and me. Maybe a few other people I didn't know about.

Lazard finally broke the silence, "Well, it seems there are others that have lost friends." He cleared his throat and walked back to his desk, "You spoke of a weapon earlier. I'm sure Hojo's informed you that that suit came with one?"

"Yes," I replied, watching him sit down in his chair.

He started pressing buttons on his console, "Luckily for you, we have it; so, you don't have to go back to Hojo's lab. Sephiroth can take you to it."

Sephiroth pushed himself off the other desk in the room and made for the door. I didn't budge, "Wait a minute." Lazard cocked an eyebrow. "Hojo said it was a staff weapon."

"Yes?"

"I'm not good with staff weapons," I said.

Lazard smiled, "Then I guess that's another thing you're going to have to train for."

—**FFVII—**

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," I mumbled as Sephiroth tossed the staff towards me. I caught it effortlessly.

It looked more like a decorative piece than a weapon. The three Materia slots were obvious—placed symmetrically in the golden, ankh-shaped head of the staff. My allusion to Anubis had been spot on, I concluded. From the ankh protruded three very sharp blades that were shaped in a trident-like fashion. The center blade was thicker than the two on the sides, but that was because it protruded from the top, rounded portion of the ankh; the other two blades were thinner and curved out from the 'arms' of the ankh. From the bottom of the ankh came the shaft, completely black and metal. The 'tail' end of the staff was a diamond; a very big, shiny diamond that was carved into a point and was faceted in the staff with gold. I frowned as I looked at it. Had that _really _been necessary? A giant diamond on the end of a weapon? Please.

I blinked rapidly as I nearly blinded myself with the rainbow cast off by the diamond. _Well,_ I thought_, that's one use for it_. Also, by having the diamond at the end sharpened, it became just as deadly—if not more so—than the three prongs at the head. Death by pointy diamond. What a way to go.

"I can't use this," I said matter-of-factly.

"Learn," was all Sephiroth said as he began to leave.

"Even if I learn," I snapped, "it's still not a very efficient weapon."

Sephiroth paused to give me a look.

"It's close combat," I continued. "I suck at close combat. Ok, yeah, I know martial arts _to an extent_, and that could help me, and there are styles of martial arts that allow one to use a rod or staff weapon, but it still sucks. I mean. I'd have to get close enough to my enemy to either slice them with the top, or stab them with the bottom. Or vice versa."

"You yourself said you could use Materia," Sephiroth replied, folding his arms. It seemed he'd forgotten he was going somewhere else before. That, or he was amused by my pitiful attempts to get out of using such a stupid weapon.

"Three," I said, holding the staff up and waving it a little. "Wow. No, wait, scratch that. Two." I poked the white Materia positioned in the center of the staff, "I forgot. Hojo said this one won't come out."

"Then you'd better make sure those other two count," Sephiroth said, his voice taking on an amused tinge.

I glared at him, "And I have shitty use of my hands when it comes to these things. I can't even spin a baton without dropping it."

"Train."

"But, the weapon _sucks_!" I tried to stress for the last time. "It's-it's...not _even_ a weapon." I shook it. "It's a mantle-piece!"

"And what's a weapon, Anubis?" Sephiroth asked, an eyebrow raised. Yes, he was clearly enjoying my little rant.

"Oh, I don't know. That six foot plus sword you carry? That giant—if not slightly ridiculous—sword Angeal carries? Come to think of it, your sword's a little ridiculous, too. Ok, _what_ _did I say_? Because something just upset you!"

Sephiroth's facial expression had changed when I'd mentioned Angeal. It was subtle, as subtle as his expressions always were, but it was the same one he had given in Lazard's office.

He didn't say anything for a moment, but when he did it was a fully resolved, "Nothing."

And then, just like that, he was walking briskly out of the room again, his hair and coat swishing behind him. I took a deep breath. In high school, as a Senior, I had taken two classes of Psychology at the community college. I knew a little something about people's behaviours. And, right then, Sephiroth was avoiding a problem that I had inadvertently brought up. He needed to talk, but was probably too proud to. That, or he didn't want to bring it up because it was painful. Whatever the case, it had me wondering what the hell was up, and because I was a curious little thing, I was not about to let him walk away without a fight.

Taking a step back and lifting my arm over my shoulder, I threw the staff at him like a spear. Much to my amusement—and amazement—it flew relatively straight and embedded itself some four feet behind him. He stopped walking and looked back at me, staring at me blankly.

"What," I said slowly, "is going on. Both you and Lazard acted a little strange in his office, and just now you reacted when I mentioned Angeal."

"It's none of your business," Sephiroth said defensively.

"Okay, fine. I'll give you that one. Maybe it's not. Then tell me this: What or who is Genesis?"

That time Sephiroth twitched. I'd never seen Sephiroth twitch before. Nor had I seen him narrow his eyes at someone like he was at me. The whole intimidation factor came back again full force. Yet, that time, I managed to keep a straight face. Sephiroth seemed to be thinking it over. What _it_ was exactly, I didn't know. But he was definitely thinking whether or not he should tell me.

"You're a very strange person, Anubis," Sephiroth replied. "You work for Shin-Ra and yet you know a lot less about it than a person on the street does." He faced me fully, "In fact, if I recall, you didn't even know who I was when I called you."

"Yes, I did," I said quickly.

"No, you didn't. You said, 'Aren't you the General of SOLDIER, or something?' Meaning you weren't completely sure of my status within SOLDIER when all of Gaia knows who I am. All but you, that is. Or do you just like playing dumb?"

"You know, I think I said 'like' somewhere in there. In fact, I'm pretty sure I would have said like."

"You're avoiding the question."

"Just like you're avoiding mine."

"Genesis was the Lieutenant of SOLDIER."

"Was?" I asked. "As in, past tense?"

Sephiroth frowned, "Yes, as in past tense. He...went missing a few months ago on a mission in Wutai. A few other lower-classed SOLDIERs disappeared with him."

I frowned, "Is that that desertion thing I heard about?"

"So, you _do_ know a thing or two about Shin-Ra."

"Shut up and answer the question."

Sephiroth smirked, "That's a contradiction, but I'll humor you anyway. Yes, it's part of the desertion you heard about. The first, actually. The rest happened not too long ago."

"And that's where everyone's been," I said, the pieces finally falling into place. "I mean Angeal, Zack, and everybody else. Since a lot of SOLDIERs quit, the ones left behind have had to pick up the slack. And, don't think I didn't see that reaction when I mentioned Angeal again." Then it hit me, "Wait a minute... Did Angeal leave?"

Jackpot! So, Angeal had also left, and it appeared to weigh heavily on the silver-haired General. They were most likely friends. Duh, of course they were. All three seemed to go together. Just like Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. That was an amusing thought but, before my brain could go off trying to think of which one Sephiroth would be, it went in another direction.

"But, _why_ would he leave?" I asked, more to myself than Sephiroth. "I've only met the guy once, but he seemed to be someone who wouldn't just _quit_."

Sephiroth chuckled dryly. I looked at him uneasily. The laugh disturbed me. Not because it was creepy, or maniacal, or anything remotely similar to Hojo, but because...I wasn't entirely sure why. But it did make me extremely uncomfortable.

"Why don't you ask Genesis?" Sephiroth practically hissed before finally walking out of the storage room we were in.

I stared after him for a long while. My thoughts kept wandering to many different places. Genesis deserted along with a group of SOLDIERs. Lower-classed ones. They more than likely had followed him because he was higher up in command and he'd convinced them, somehow, to follow him. But, why would he have needed them to quit with him? Most people wouldn't quit a job just because their boss told them too, that's how they made money to live. People would, however, quit en masse if they were guaranteed to have another job waiting for them. But, what kind of job would be waiting for them?

Wouldn't it be interesting, I thought, if Genesis, for whatever reason, had quit to form his own little gang? Interesting, yes, but would it be probable? Who knew? A mission in Wutai and a few months before were the timeline I had been given and that meant the War was still going on. Why desert during a war? I didn't know the answer to that question either.

A lot of other SOLDIERs had deserted after the War. Was that the work of Genesis, too? If so, why? I sighed and tried to rub my eyebrows...and then realized I was still wearing my helmet. Too many questions that I didn't really care to have the answers to. But, like I've mentioned before, I was a curious little thing. I wanted to know anyway. I wouldn't get the answers from Sephiroth, or Lazard, I was sure of that. I'd just have to do some snooping around the SOLDIER floor.

I walked over to my staff and jerked it out of the ground. I frowned and cringed a little when I noticed the hole I'd left in the floor.

"Eh," I muttered, "that's not good."

I looked around guiltily before hurrying out of the room. I was not paying for that hole in the floor like Ronnie had paid for the Turks' training room ceiling. Though, mine was undoubtedly cheaper.

—**FFVII—**

I had a funny feeling that Sephiroth was also meant to show me around the SOLDIER floor, but since I'd probably pissed him off by bringing up a sore subject, he probably wasn't going to do that anymore. Actually, the fact that I hadn't seen him after our little incident meant that he definitely wasn't going to show me around. Oh, well, I guessed that meant I was going to have to find stuff on my own.

It was amusing, to say the least, as I walked around floor forty-nine all by my lonesome. The number of looks I received was staggering. I couldn't quite tell what looks they were since everyone else _also_ had a helmet on. I could tell, though, when I got stares of awe—the men had their mouths open for that one.

No one approached me, no one called after me. They didn't avoid me, really, but the poor boys definitely had no idea what to make of me. If I saw a person in a suit reminiscent of a black god of death with a staff equally as black and imposing—if not pretty—I, too, would have been at a loss of words and at loss with what to do with myself. Case in point, when a poor boy of at least sixteen had stopped right in front of me and found himself unable to move.

We both stared at one another with our helmets on—each unable to tell what the other was thinking. I raised an eyebrow that I knew he couldn't see. He was a little shorter than me, and was looking up at me, and the whole image of him was so freaking hilarious I had difficulty not to smile. We stayed that way for at least a minute.

My eyes drifted behind him and I noticed a few other SOLDIERs had stopped what they were doing to also stare at us. I looked back at the boy. Feeling that I was probably going to be standing there for a while, I frowned. Such a small amount of movement on my part seemed to jump start the boy.

"Please, don't kill me," he whimpered, still unmoving.

It was then I realized what had happened. The poor boy hadn't moved because he was scared shitless. I tried not to laugh; I failed. The boy jumped back so fast one would have think I'd shot a gun off.

I coughed into my fist, "I'm not going to kill you."

The next sentence the boy said caught me off-guard.

"You're a _girl_?" He whispered.

I frowned then looked down at my chest. The suit did a good job of hiding whatever boobs I had to begin with with a piece of metal that went straight across and stuck out in the middle. Anyone could confuse it for a flashy piece of material meant to be for aesthetic value only, but I could attest to the fact that it was indeed there for a reason. No matter how not-impressive that reason was.

I looked back up at the boy, "No, I'm a woman." I held up my staff, the three prongs slightly leaning towards him, "Hear me roar."

Much to my surprise, the boy screamed—a sound that sounded a lot like a squeak—and tried to run away. Frowning, I quickly grabbed a hold of the ridiculous turtle-neck undershirt the little Grunts were made to wear. He screamed louder and started thrashing. The kid's screams of 'No' 'Please' 'Don't kill me' and 'Ah' alerted his other little friends to our little predicament; and, I realized, I was either going to have to let go of him or shut him up. Otherwise, those swords the other men were reaching for might or might not have wound up inside me. I went for the latter.

Without releasing my hand on the boy's shirt, I raised my staff in my other hand and bopped him over the head. It didn't hurt him, of course, since he was wearing a metal helmet, but it did make him shut up long enough for me to shout:

"I'm not going to kill you!"

"Don't hurt me!" He came back with.

"If you don't stop struggling, I'll hit you again."

He stopped. The other SOLDIERs, upon hearing my voice and realizing I was a 'girl' had stopped their slow, 'sneaky' advances and watched on—some with smirks on their faces. I growled at them. The smirks quickly disappeared, as did the boys. All except the one I had a hold of, that is. He hadn't moved a centimeter since I'd told him to stop.

"I'm going to let you go now," I said slowly, "and you're not going to run. You're going to stay put, and then I'm going to make brief conversation with you. Understood?"

The boy stayed quiet.

"You're allowed to answer that," I muttered.

"Yes," he squeaked.

I let go. The boy didn't move.

"Good," I said, "now..."

And then I trailed off when I realized he wasn't going to move to turn around and face me as I talked to him. Gripping his shoulders—which made him flinch—I spun him around to face me. I let him go and put my hands up to show him I wasn't going to hurt him, then dropped them.

"_Good_. Now, I was supposed to be showed this floor by Sephiroth. Yes, I said Sephiroth, close your mouth. Unfortunately, we had a little fall out you might say and I have no guide. _Why are you trembling?_"

"I'm sorry, sir, MA'AM! Ma'am...Sir." I resisted the urge to rub my eyebrows again as the boy stuttered over himself in his sad attempt to guess which formality he was supposed to use. "It's just...You remind me of someone."

"Oh?" I asked, uninterested, "And who might that be?"

"Once, I was sent to do guard duty at the gates, and this man and woman appeared on a Chocobo and—"

He didn't get any further.

"That was _you_," I hissed.

The boy paused then took in a deep breath. The kind scared people take right before the begin running for their lives. Which is exactly what this kid tried to do. I grabbed a hold of his shirt collar again, only this time I yanked back so hard he slipped and fell to the floor with a loud thud. He quickly found the diamond on the end of my staff pointed between his eyes. Or, at least, where I supposed his eyes to be.

"Alright, bucko," I growled, "there's only one way you're getting out of this. And it's _not_ in a body bag. So don't even go there."

"Oh, goodness, you're going—" and then what I said finally registered with him, "Wait, what?"

"You heard me," I said. "You owe me an apology for nearly shooting me instead of that damned bird. Honestly, _what the hell were you thinking?_ And don't give me that Wutai bullshit!" The boy quickly closed his mouth and whimpered. "You're too young to be in the military—"

"I am not!" He suddenly burst out with. There was a lot of conviction in his voice all of a sudden. I slammed my staff into the third light on his helmet, causing it to break and crackle. He quickly went back into 'terror-mode'.

"Yes," I hissed, "you are. You're a scared, little weakling who has no business behind a gun. I can't believe Shin-Ra recruits people as young as you. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. I want you to apologize for nearly shooting me, and then, after we're done here, I want you to go apologize to my friend. Don't worry about paying him back, I'm sure you probably need that money a lot more than he does now, considering he's a Turk. Ah, didn't know that, did we? Anyways, apologize; I'll let you up; and we can continue where I left off."

"And if I don't?" The boy asked defiantly. His voice cracking ruined any hope he had at sounding threatening.

"I can stand here all day, kid. And if that doesn't work, I have a Thunder Materia in my pocket. You already know who I am, so I have no qualms about powering down this suit, grabbing it, and shocking you with it. I know for a fact it won't kill you, but you _definitely_ will feel it and it _definitely_ will hurt. So, what's it going to be?" I asked.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

I grinned, "I'm sorry, I don't think I quite caught that."

"Sorry!" he shouted bitterly.

"Good boy," I said and removed my staff from his face. I offered him my hand, and he just looked at it as if I'd lost my mind. Then he looked at me. I smiled, "Simple apology's all I wanted from you. You're the one that made it into a big deal."

The boy frowned and pushed himself off the floor, completely ignoring my outstretched hand. I smirked and dropped it as he dusted himself off. A procedure I thought was pointless considering the spotless floors.

"Too proud to accept help from _a girl_?" I asked, amused.

"Not trusting of someone who throws me to the ground and threatens me just because they want an apology," he grumbled.

"Would you have given me one otherwise?" I asked. The boy frowned but remained silent. "Didn't think so. Now, where I left off was asking you to show me around. Can you do that?" The boy was silent again. "Ok, dude, if you're trying to communicate with your eyes, I can't see them. Use your words."

"I have a mission to do," The kid said quickly. I stared at him for a moment. It was pretty obvious he was lying, but just on the safe side…

"Tell them the new recruit kidnapped you, now come on," I said and grabbed a hold of his collar, dragging him along behind me as I started walking through the halls.

"Knock it off!" He protested as he slapped at my arm. "I really _do_ have a mission to do." I ignored him. "Lazard will be angry if I don't do it." I still ignored him. "It's a matter of life and death?" He half-asked.

"Cute," I said as I came to another door. I stared at it, trying to figure out where it went without actually going inside it. I nodded at it, "What's this?"

"If you let me go," the boy began, "I'll tell you."

I looked over at him, "What's the little word that gets things done?" The chance of the boy having ever read _Peter Pan_ was zero, but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway.

"What?" He asked.

"I'll give you a hint, it starts with a 'p' and ends with an 'e'."

I watched the boy frown as he tried to think of what word I was talking about. I thought it should have been readily obvious, but maybe that was because I already knew the answer to the question. Regardless, it was hilarious to watch him wrack his brain.

"Give ya another hint. Puh—" I trailed off.

"Please?" The boy asked hopefully.

I abruptly let go of his collar and he jerked away so fast I wouldn't have been able to catch him even if I had had lightning-fast reflexes. He straightened his collar and stared at me. Hell, he could have been glaring at me; I couldn't tell. He kept his distance.

"I guess you're not coming within arm's reach again, are ya?" I asked nonchalantly.

"No."

I shrugged, "Too bad. I would have removed your helmet. I hate talking to people whose face can't be seen."

"You're one to talk," he grumbled.

He _did_ have a point there. I jerked my thumb towards the door I was standing in front of, "I repeat, 'What's this?'"

"The Materia room," he replied.

"So," I asked, "this is where they keep the Materia? Kind of big for a storage room, don't ya think?"

"That's where they make it, not where they keep it. The SOLDIERs get their Materia from the storage bins a few yards down on the other side of the wall, along with weapons and anything else they need to do their missions. Weren't you debriefed on that? I mean, I know you haven't been here that long, like, a day, but, they should have told you that..." The boy trailed off and leaned forward a little. He asked suspiciously, "Are you _sure_ you're with SOLDIER."

I turned my head from looking at the door to stare at the boy. A few seconds passed while I thought of what I could say to that in return.

I finally settled with a slightly sarcastic, "Does it _look_ like I belong anywhere else?"

"It doesn't look like you belong anywhere," he replied honestly.

Ouch. Talk about harsh. He hadn't meant it to be, that was for sure, but one had to take into consideration that I was an alien from Earth—one of only two that existed on Gaia. I _didn't _belong anywhere, really. I put that startling revelation behind me and continued my snooping.

"They make Materia in here?" I asked, jerking a thumb at the door again. The boy nodded. "And how do they do that?"

The boy frowned, "Why don't you just go in there and see for yourself?"

"We can do that?" I asked, genuinely stunned.

Shin-Ra just allowed little SOLDIERs to walk into a room where they made magic rocks and expected no altercations what-so-ever? Wow... Maybe, the company was more trusting than I thought. Or, maybe I was just a paranoid little person and thought everyone else should be, too.

"Yes," the boy grinned. "You can do that."

"_We_. You're going in first," I said, stepping back a little and pointing at the door. "I'm not losing another tour guide."

The boy frowned, grunted, but obeyed anyways. Once again, I found his situation hilarious. He probably thought there was no way to get out of the predicament he was in and that he was going to be forced to be my slave for the remainder of the day. It wasn't true, of course. If he had thought things through he would have realized, by then, that he still had a sword strapped to his person, and that, if he wanted to escape, all he had to do was swing it at me. Of course, he didn't which meant he hadn't and he really _was_ going to be my slave for the remainder of the day—at least until I was done exploring.

The door swished open when he stood close enough to it, and then we both stepped inside. Inside was definitely spacious and grey, just like the rest of the floor. Random scientists were walking around and chatting with one another, spouting off jargon I didn't understand. My eyes briefly took in my surroundings before they zeroed in on a couple of tanks near the wall. Involuntarily, I took a step away from them.

Inside was Mako. The green liquid seemed to glow gently within the canisters, but I knew better. It wasn't as gentle as it'd have one believe. There I was, going off being dramatic again. It wasn't possible that a liquid could _purposely_ make itself appear gentle—not like it was alive or anything. I hoped.

To my surprise, the boy must have finally warmed up to his role as 'tour guide' and began to explain what the scientists were doing.

"See that Mako over there?" He asked, nodding at it. Boy, did I ever. "They use it to make Materia."

"Mako makes Materia?" I asked curiously.

"Condensed Mako does. They're able to form it into the spherical Materia that everyone uses. I don't know how."

"So, those shapes aren't natural? The balls, I mean. There's other kinds of Materia on Gaia?"

One of the scientists had heard our brief conversation and decided to join in, "It's possible to find Materia naturally, but it's very rare to do so, and usually the deposits are so huge that they're unusable by our standards."

"What if they weren't unusable?" I asked. The whole topic on Mako and Materia I found to be very intriguing.

The scientist frowned, clearly thrown off by my question, "I beg your pardon?"

"What if they weren't unusable?" I reiterated. "You're a scientist, I'm sure you like hypothetical situations. Let's say, for instance, someone was to run upon a giant crystal of Materia and that said someone found a way to tap into its power like we do our tiny spheres. They stumbled, or something, and touched it, and at the exact moment they linked with whatever power was stored inside and released it. What would happen? Does the Materia's size have to do with how powerful it is?"

"Not necessarily," The scientist replied. "However, I'm pretty certain that if there was someone that existed that could tap into the power of raw, unrestrained Materia like that...they'd be a formidable opponent. Even to someone like you or Sephiroth."

"There's no one strong enough to beat Sephiroth," my tour guide said, oddly proud.

The scientist gave him a look, "That's what Shin-Ra wants you to believe. Now, if you'll excuse us, we scientists have our jobs to do. I'm going to have to ask you to step out."

I turned and went to leave. The boy had his mouth open, finger raised, as if to object to what the scientist had just admitted to before I was forced to grab him by the arm and lead him outside. The door swished shut behind us and I let go of his arm.

"Did you hear what that man said? Someone strong enough to beat Sephiroth? Pah! No such person exists! I bet even the other Firsts couldn't stand a chance against him. Why, Sephiroth's—"

"Child," I said quickly.

"Will you stop calling me 'kid' and 'child' and everything else that makes you seem older than me?" He snapped back.

"I _am_ older than you," I replied calmly.

"Not by much!"

"By at least seven years."

"How old are you?" He asked suspiciously.

"I'm not telling you!" I barked defensively.

"Ha! I bet you're lying."

"Twenty-two! There, are ya happy?" I huffed.

The boy crossed his arms in all manner of a childish way, "Only six years."

"Geh!" I pulled at my hair to keep from strangling the kid. "Look, I don't care. I'm still older than you and I'm going to call you whatever the hell I like—"

"My name's Jerry."

"—I'm going to call you whatever the hell I like. Whether that's Bob, Chuck, Bill, kid, or child. You are who I say you are. Ya got that?"

The boy had started to frown. He waited a moment before replying, "You're a very bossy, annoying person, do you know that?"

I stared up at the ceiling. Lord help me, I thought.

"Ok, yes, I'm a very bossy, annoying person. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I'm sorry I kidnapped you, threw you to the ground, smashed out your third eye _thing_ on your helmet, nearly choked you to death, and forced you to give me a grand tour of the forty-ninth floor of the Shin-Ra building."

"Thank you," he replied, smiling gently.

"I am, however, not sorry I called you kid or child," I finished. The boy's smile quickly vanished. "You can't win them all, just take what you get and move on. That's what I'm doing. Moving on. Now, back on the topic of Mako and Materia. If Mako makes Materia, why are SOLDIERs pumped full of it?"

"Mako does a lot of things," the boy replied. "Gives us power for our homes, makes Materia, allows SOLDIERs to become stronger than regular people."

"But, _how_?"

The boy shrugged, "I don't know. Mako energy was discovered long before I was born. Shin-Ra really doesn't give much detail on it. I don't think they really know either."

That was where he was wrong. Shin-Ra knew a lot of things that the general populous didn't know. I'd learned that fast from working with the Turks and hanging around Rufus. The Ancients, Jenova, all the things Hojo and President Shin-Ra whispered about to one another. Only a handful of people knew about those things. I figured only a handful of people knew what Mako was, too. Like for instance:

"Why is it so toxic?" I asked.

"You mean, why do people have bad reactions to Mako sometimes?" The boy asked, a little confused.

"It just doesn't make sense," I mumbled to myself. "If it's so great..."

Why did it nearly kill me? I wondered. It was like I was compatible with everything else on Gaia: the food, the species, the language. Hell, I could use Materia! Just not Mako...

"What else is on this floor," I nearly snapped as I tried to pull myself out of my thoughts once again.

"The training room, debriefing room, those storage bins I told you about earlier, and the lounge area. That's about it," the boy hesitated. "Are you alright? You seem a little out of it."

I smiled, "My dear child, how can you tell anything about me when I'm wearing a helmet that's ten times more obscuring than yours is? _And_ more imposing."

The boy—Jerry—frowned, "There you go. Being all mean again."

I sighed, "I wasn't out of it, I was thinking. I interrupted my thoughts to make it appear that I wasn't, but because I did so without following them to the end of wherever the hell they were going, I got grouchy. It happens sometimes."

"That made no sense at all."

"It did in my head."

"Uh-huh," The boy replied doubtfully.

"You think I'm insane, don't you?" I asked dismally.

"Are you?"

Yes, he thought I was insane. It was possible that I was insane. I mean, I was going around spacing out over a green, glowing liquid. Did that make me insane, or just inquisitive? Maybe both. I sighed.

"Look, I've wasted enough of your time and I'm going to go now. I'll probably be seeing you later. Not that I can tell you apart from the rest of the helmet-headed goons around here—who all have mysteriously disappeared for some strange reason. Until then I want you to have a happy and prosperous life, and if I never see you behind the barrel of a gun again I'll be just as happy. Ta-ta."

I turned swiftly and began to walk in the direction of the elevators. Just as I turned the corner of the hall I remembered something else I'd told the boy earlier. I jerked back and peered around the corner. Jerry was just starting to walk away. I had enough time to catch him.

"Yo!" I called. He stopped and turned to look at me. "Don't forget: You're supposed to apologize to my friend. I'll ask him if you do or not. If you don't, rest assured I _will_ hunt you down again."

**Author's Note: I know ya'll caught the Superman reference. If you didn't, you're not a stalker. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing? I don't know. Lotsa stressing of Mako in this chapter. Which is what I wanted to stress. I could keep stressing it actually, but if I do, I'll give everything away. That, and this chapter just wouldn't end. So, how do you like my Jerry? He's named after the entity in **_**Sphere,**_** a book I read after I watched the movie on Encore (that's a satellite/cable station for those of you without satellite/cable). -cries- I NEED PEOPLE! -shakes DSL box- GIVE ME MY PEOPLE!**

**Also, before uploading this, my dog died. Ronnie and I had to dig his grave, where we then put him—in a DirectTV box wrapped in a plastic bag—into the ground. Do not feel sorry for there is no need. He had a long run. Eleven years to be precise. And now he will never be bothered with fleas or old men with Alzheimers ever again. I am not so fortunate…**

_**Edit: I can't breathe through my nostrils. Pollen—why is it so annoying? How they hell do trees and grasses give off pollen **_**as they die**_**? I mean, honestly, what the hell. And, I fixed the rank error with Jerry. –coughs on all of you as she continues editing-**_


	14. Black Widow

**A/N: -collapses- Whoever I told it would take me about three days to write this...I lied. I was going to read **_**Inkdeath**_** but, that didn't quite happen the way I wanted it to. Between vacuuming the floors, and spraying them with pesticides, and vacuuming the floors, and spraying them with pesticides, and trying my damnedest not to touch the floor, I didn't have time to read **_**Inkdeath**_** let alone write this damn chapter. For some odd reason, the fleas have finally lowered their numbers. I believe we are winning the war. I just don't know why. Seriously, we've tried everything on these damn bastards, and then they just up and disappear without telling how we got rid of them. It's infuriating for some strange reason.**

_**Edited on 12 Oct 2010 for errors and goofs. Wow, this was back when the fleas were rampant. That was a year ago…Has it really been that long?**_

No rest for the weary. The next day I was up at the crack of dawn and standing in Lazard's office by eight. It was a good thing he couldn't see my eyes; they were drooping nearly the entire time he was talking.

"Sephiroth has agreed to have you accompany his training of a Second today. You'll find them in the Training Room on the forty-ninth floor. Once you've achieved Third Class, then I'll consider letting you out of the Shin-Ra building. Until then, I suggest you train hard and listen to everything Sephiorth tells you. Anubis?"

"Huh, what?" I asked. I hadn't realized until that moment that I'd almost dozed off while on my feet.

Lazard frowned, "Is this going to be a problem?"

"Is what going to be a problem?" I asked holding my eyes wide.

"Listening," He replied, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back in his chair.

"I was listening," I said quickly.

"Really? Then what'd I say?"

I had to think about that one. What _had_ he said? Something about Sephiroth and another First and training. And that I needed to make Third. Wait.

"Why aren't I a Third now?" I frowned. "Or better? This suit—"

"That suit has nothing to do with your rank," Lazard interrupted. "That suit means nothing to me. What matters to me is how well you perform; and if you don't perform well, I'll send you back to the President. I can only imagine what he'll do to you."

My frown deepened, "You mean what Hojo will do to me? I can tell you what _he'd_ do. He'd lop off my arm to get at the armlet, and then I'd probably die of blood loss as he petted the thing while going 'My pretty, my precioussss.'"

Lazard gave me a slightly amused look, but it quickly vanished when he realized that wasn't a very authoritative look to give, "Yes, I suppose it would be something like that. Keeping that in mind, you can probably see why it'd be a good idea for you to do as I say and _train well_."

"Train well, perform well, become Third," I said, shaking my fist once.

"Exactly."

"And then after that, become Second, and then First, and then kick Sephiroth's ass because he needs it," I continued.

Lazard frowned, "I wouldn't go that far."

He might not have, but I would've. Ok, so maybe I didn't really intend to kick Sephiroth's ass. Truth was, I didn't think he really needed his ass kicked in the first place. I just got extremely annoyed when everybody always said 'Sephiroth this' and 'Sephiroth that'. So the man was Superman? Who gave a flying fuck?

I shrugged, "Is that all, sir?"

Lazard nodded, "Just be careful. The training procedures can be...a little more real than you'd think them to be."

"Duly noted," I muttered before turning on my heel and exiting the room.

The training room wasn't quite what I had expected it to be. I figured some weights here and there, some dummies to fight, perhaps some of those robots I was forced to fight in the Turk training. It had none of those. In fact, it didn't have anything in it. It was a simple, high-ceilinged, circular room.

Sephiroth was waiting for me already, his arms folded across his chest with his eyes closed. He seemed to be thinking about something. That didn't surprise me. What did surprise me was seeing who I saw standing beside him, talking away about something the General didn't seem to give a damn about.

It was Zack. The little, dark-haired kid I'd met what felt like millinea ago. Upon seeing me he stopped talking and grinned. For a second, I thought he'd recognized me and was happy to see me. I was wrong.

"So, who's the new guy?" He asked happily.

I frowned; Sephiroth's smirk did not go unnoticed. I ignored Zack's comment and continued to walk slowly towards him. I figured if I took my time, Zack might finally recognize me.

Zack's grin faltered a little when I didn't introduce myself right away. By the time I reached the boy, his grin was completely gone and he was looking at me with a worried expression. As if I'd bite him or something. Zack and I stared at one another for a moment before he turned and gave Sephiroth an uneasy look.

He pointed at me and asked, "Is he okay?"

I sighed, "I'm not a he."

Zack flinched and stared at me with wide eyes, "You're a girl?"

"No, I'm an it. What other gender is there besides a he?" I asked sarcastically. I put my hands on my hips, "Besides, you should know I'm not a he."

"I should?" He asked, sincerely confused as to why.

My arms dropped to my sides as I stared at him, "You don't remember me, do you?"

Zack blinked, "I think I'd remember someone in a black suit of armor that vaguely resembles a dog."

I had the strong desire to hit him with my staff just then. Sure, he'd only spent one day with me, but we'd become friends that day. We had had lunch together. How could he not have remembered who I was? Sure, I was wearing a helmet, but my hair was still the same! My voice was still the same! How could he have forgetten me? I wasn't that easy of a person to forget.

"I'm hurt. Really I am," I said. "Maybe this will jog your memory."

I took my helmet off. Zack's eyes widened in surprise. He pointed at me like a child points at something it finds amazing.

"It's you! You're that Turk!"

"You know her?" Sephiroth asked, finally making his presence known.

"Yeah! I met her in the elevator. We had lunch together," he said proudly, as if happy he'd finally remembered who I was.

"Oh?" Sephiroth smiled. I glared at him. His tone of voice had not escape me. But before I could object, he asked, "What's her name?"

I looked at Zack. Surely he'd remembered my name. He had to have remembered my name.

"Saan," Zack replied.

Good boy.

"Wrong," Sephiroth said. Zack and I both looked at him, confused. "In SOLDIER she is referred to as Anubis." He then looked at me, "And you can't go around showing yourself to everyone you used to know just because you feel upset that they don't recognize you."

I glared at him before shoving my helmet back on my head, "Whatever."

I didn't see any harm in Zack knowing who I was. If anything, it made things easier. He wouldn't become confused when I referred to him as if I knew him when he didn't know me; and, in situations where we worked together, we'd be better as a team if he knew I was Saan and not just Anubis. People were more likely to help out friends than complete strangers, after all.

Zack looked between Sephiroth and me, "Anyways, what'd you have in store for us today?" He grinned expectantly.

Sephiroth turned his attention to the boy before replying, "A simple mission. Since it's Anubis' first time in the training room, I figured something easy would be best."

Zack pouted. "Oh, come on! I'm sure she could handle anything I could. That suit seems pretty tough," he finished thoughtfully as he looked it up and down.

"What did you have in mind?" Sephiroth mused. "A Dual Horn?"

"What's a Dual Horn?" I asked innocently. Other than something with two horns, I couldn't possibly imagine what he was talking about.

"Big, red creature," Zack explained. "Has two, giant horns that curve out above its shoulders and head. If you can stay away from its horns and feet, it's really not that hard to kill."

"Why do I have to stay away from its feet?" I asked. "How big is it?"

"About the size of a small house," Sephiroth replied.

I stared at him, looked at Zack out of the corner of my eye, then looked back at Sephiroth, "On second thought, easy sounds like a _really_ good idea."

Zack folded his arms and asked, "And just whose side are you on?"

"The side that doesn't get me killed," I replied.

"You wouldn't get killed."

"For some odd reason, I don't trust you on that."

Sephiroth shook his head, a sign that he was growing tired with our antics. Zack and I shut up and finally decided to listen to what the General had to say about our training.

"Anubis, even though this training exercise will be easy for Zack," he began, "it won't be for you, for obvious reasons." He was talking about the lack of Mako in my veins. "I want you to stay close to him for this entire session, but not too close. Not only will you get in his way, but you might also get injured. Do you understand?"

"Cheer on from the sidelines," I mumbled gloomily. "Got it."

Zack was frowning, "You mean, she can't fight at all? That's not really fair, Sephiroth."

"I didn't say she couldn't fight," Sephiroth replied. "But there are certain enemies that will overwhelm her. I suggest you take care of those and let her handle the smaller things."

With that, Sephiroth turned and left the room. I blinked. He hadn't really given me much information about our 'mission'. Just some do-s and don't-s. I didn't know what we were to fight, how to fight it, nothing. Looking around the room I couldn't spot any enemies, either. Were we supposed to follow after him or something? No, that wasn't it. Lazard said we'd be staying in the training room.

I turned to look at Zack and say something but, before I could, the entire room changed. In less than a second, the gray walls disappeared—seemingly pixel by pixel—and morphed into what looked like an area in the Slums. I yelped and spun around quickly. Zack laughed at me.

"This really is your first time in the training room, isn't it?" He asked, grinning. "How do you like it?"

"What _is_ it?" I asked, looking around suspiciously. One second I was in a gray-walled room and the next it was like I had teleported outside or something.

"The training room uses advanced holographic technology," Sephiroth's voice came from out of nowhere. "You haven't left the room you were in. It just appears that you have."

"Pretty neat, huh?" Zack asked, looking around. He seemed to be searching for something but I didn't know what.

"Ok," I said hesitantly. "I can understand the holographic part changing the image, but what about the room size? How does that work? If I take off running, will I run into the wall?"

"Only if you see a wall," Sephiroth replied.

I blinked, "I'll run into a wall that's not there, but I see. Yet, I can't run into the wall that I know is there but can't see."

"Yes."

"That's some pretty damned advanced holographics," I mumbled.

I didn't trust it. The whole situation seemed too much like the _Matrix_ for me. Feeling things that weren't really there? When Lazard mentioned the training session being more real than it seemed, he was probably talking about this. Just then, a scary thought occurred to me. If the machine was like the _Matrix _and I died in it, I died in real life, too. My hand tightened around my staff.

"Exactly what _is_ our mission, Sephiroth?" Zack asked. "I don't see any enemies or monsters."

"Some of Shin-Ra's equipment has malfunctioned and is now wreaking havoc in the Slums. You're to despose of the equipment before it can do too much damage," Sephiroth's voice replied.

"Oh, is that all?" I asked, relieved.

Equipment meant robots and not monsters. I was good at taking down robots. The night before I had equipped my Thunder Materia to my staff. Robots were weak against electricity-based attacks. The mission might not have been so hard after all.

"Come on," Zack said as he began walking towards the make-shift houses that dotted the landscape. "If we can't see them, they're most likely hiding."

"Oh, really?" I asked, smirking, "And how long did it take you to figure that one out?"

Zack smiled back, "Not that long, believe it or not."

"I believe it," I nodded, still teasing.

The entire virtual place seemed barren and devoid of life. I hadn't been to that part of the Slums. It had to have been one of the sectors that people lived in—as opposed to Sector 6, where people just drank their lives away in one of the bars. I really should have spent some of my time exploring the rest of Midgar instead of lounging around the Shin-Ra building. I might have actually learned something about the planet I was on that way, instead of just staring at one of the many maps scattered around the building trying to find out where Rocket Town was.

Zack crept his way along one of the walls of the buildings, me right behind him as silent as his shadow. He peered around it. I heard him sigh.

"What?" I whispered. Don't ask me why I whispered. I guess I figured whispering went hand-in-hand with sneaking.

"I _still_ don't see anything," he mumbled back. "Sephiroth, are you _sure_ you uploaded the enemies?"

I snorted. The great Sephiroth forgetting something as trivial as uploading the baddies in a video game. That would have been hilarious. Very improbable, but hilarious nonetheless.

"Yes, Zack," was all the General said.

A quiet whir came from somewhere behind me. I turned to see what it was and immediately froze. I couldn't believe my eyes. Behind me hovered a giant robot with four tiny legs that stuck out around some type of air-producing engine. Its grill was almost even with my face while two giant gun-arms pointed straight ahead of it on either side of me.

"Zack," I whispered in a barely audible voice. Never once did I take my eyes off the robot as it hummed quietly.

"I don't get it," Zack said. "Where are they?"

Slowly, as to not startle the robot, I brought my hand up. The robot didn't move. With a shaking hand, I slowly reached behind me trying to get Zack's attention. After three tries, I finally managed to tap him on the shoulder.

"What?" He asked. I just kept tapping.

"What?" He asked again, a little louder.

It was obvious he still hadn't turned to look at me. The robot must have heard Zack's voice because it started to move. The guns swiveled to point fully at me. I tapped faster and harder.

"What?" Zack almost hissed, then I heard him breathe in deep. That same 'oh shit' breath that Jerry had taken when I'd threatened him. He must have finally looked behind him.

"Sweeper!" Zack exclaimed before grabbing me around my waist and literally flinging me aside.

I spun in the air before hitting the ground with a dull thud. Before I could ask why he'd thrown me, the robot fired at him—not with bullets, but with two small missiles. I watched in amazement as Zack dodged one and sliced through the other, both pieces sailing behind him and exploding upon contact with the ground. To think, for years I had thought that that was just a cheap Hollywood trick, and yet Zack had pulled it off effortlessly.

"I'll take care of these!" Zack shouted as he sliced at the robot. Parts of it sparked with the hit and it hovered away to take better aim at him. "You take care of the small fry!"

"What small fry?" I shouted back as he ran after the Sweeper.

That's when I heard a tiny whirring noise off to my side. I turned and watched as two little robots no bigger than my waist rolled up to me on little tank treads. All they were were big, rolling shields.

"D'aw," I said grinning sardonically. "Look at the little, baby robots. Oh, God!"

One of the robots had took it upon itself to charge at me with its shield. Back stepping quickly, I somehow managed to avoid having my knees crushed. The other robot took that opportunity to charge at me, too. Since I saw that one coming, I was able to easily dodge it, but then the first one came at me again.

"Bugger off!" I shouted, smacking at it with my staff. It bounced harmlessly off and the robot came at me again.

"Alright, that does it," I growled.

Pointing my staff's three prongs at the two robots, I summoned the magic that rested in my Thunder Materia. Lightning arced from the points and shot into them. Much to my dismay, the robots only paused for a second before continuing their assault.

"Dagnam it!" I shouted, running in circles to keep the robots off me, "Zack! My spells aren't working!"

"That's because those particular robots aren't weak against Thunder," Zack shouted back. The Sweeper that had attacked us lay smoldering on the ground, but it seemed that two more had joined in the fight.

"Great," I growled. "I'm fighting a big shield that's not weak against anything I can throw at it. Perfect. _Just wonderful._ Anything else you'd like to throw at me, Sephiroth?"

The last part I yelled at the sky because I had no idea where the General was. I got no reply and, for a moment, I prayed he hadn't heard me. I wasn't really sure if he would have taken me up on my offer or not.

One of the robots charged at me again. Pissed, I swung my staff at it as hard as I could. Two of the prongs embedded themselves into its metal shield. Uh-oh, I thought. I hadn't hurt it at all! I'd only managed to get myself stuck while the other robot was free to charge at me. Panicking, I jerked and jerked at my staff, watching the free robot wearily. With one great tug, my staff came free and then I backpedaled away from the two robots. So much for that idea.

Then it hit me. I was going about the fight the wrong way. They were resistant to my magic and the three prongs of my staff weren't sharp enough to penetrate deep enough into them, but the diamond on the other end was. Diamonds were the hardest substance known to man. It stood to reason that the giant one on the end of my staff could breach through the robots' giant shields right to their core. And, even if I didn't make it that far in, at least I could get rid of the damn shields they were trying to ram me with.

Grabbing my staff where the head met the shaft, and wrapping my other hand tightly around a lower section of the rod, I waited for one of the robots to charge at me. I cast a quick look in Zack's direction. He was still fighting the two Sweepers; however, one of them was already sparking badly. It was bound to go at any minute. My eyes darted back to my robots as one of them finally charged me. I lowered myself down to the ground and thrust my staff towards it. The stupid thing wound up spearing itself.

I was amazed by how far the diamond pushed into the robot, wrenching the metal apart with a horrible screech. The robot suddenly exploded, causing me to fall back a little. Quickly getting to my feet, I waited for the other robot to come at me. It was a pathetic strategy, I had to admit, but it was the only one I could see that could work with the weapon I had. Zack probably could have cleaved it in two in a matter of seconds; unfortunately, I didn't have a sword like he did.

I didn't have to wait long. The remaining robot rolled around its fallen companion then shot off at me like a cannon. Positioning myself as I had before, I thrust my staff towards it. Much to my dismay, my staff hit at the wrong angle. The diamond slid a little before breaching the shield, forcing my staff off to the side of the robot instead of straight through it. The robot whirred loudly as it tried to shake me free, while I was grunting in an equally vain attempt to wrench myself away.

A small explosion off to my left alerted me to the fact that Zack had defeated the last of his Sweepers. I glanced in that direction and saw Zack running towards me, sword in hand over his shoulder. I glared back at the robot as it tried to pull away from me—pulling me along with it. Zack slowed to a stop behind it. He was grinning at me.

"Need some help?" He asked, obviously amused by my predicament.

"Yes. Please," I growled through clenched teeth.

In one fluid motion, he swung his sword down and stabbed it into the back part of the robot. The robot gave off a tiny explosion that was just enough force to free my staff, though it did jar my arms something awful. I pushed myself off the ground.

"That seemed easy enough," I grumbled as I shook my hands.

"That's because I hit its power supply," Zack replied, still smiling, "It's its only weakness."

I stared at him blankly, "Figures. The power supply would be located at the back of the robot where you can't get at it."

"It was easy enough for me," Zack mused.

"You weren't getting your ass dragged along the ground. Would you have been able to get behind that thing if it weren't for me?" I asked. Zack gave me a look. "When you were a Third."

"I'm nominated for First, aren't I?" He asked. "How do you think I managed that?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Touché, little man. Touché. Anyways, now that we've taken care of the robots that means the mission's over, right?"

"Not necessarily," Zack replied, looking around again. "That all depends on whether we really did get them all are not."

"You mean, there still might be more hiding around here?" I half-groaned. "Those other robots wouldn't happen to be bigger than Sweepers, would they?"

"Oh, no," Zack replied shaking his head. "Sephiroth said he was going to go easy. You don't get much more easy than Sweepers and Bull Heads."

So, the shield robots were called Bull Heads. Appropriately named.

"Those little red robot things with the antenna popping out of their heads," I said. "Those were easy. All you had to do was kick 'em."

Zack looked back at me and frowned, "That might be a little _too_ easy."

A little too easy? Yes. But it would have made my life a whole lot easier, as well. Start off at something small and work your way up to big, not start at something medium-sized and hope you don't get smushed under its tiny tank treads in the process. Or get your brains knocked out. That scenario seemed more plausible.

"Hey, Sephiroth!" Zack called out. "Are we done?"

We both waited for a few seconds and there was no answer.

"Sephiroth?" Zack asked again, a tinge of worry in his voice.

I cocked my head to the side and asked, "You don't think he fell asleep out there, do ya? Or wherever the hell he's located."

"No," Zack replied frowning. He put his sword on his back and began to pace, still looking around, "I don't get it. He never leaves when someone's training. Where could he have gone?"

"Maybe he got called away or something," I shrugged. "He does seem like the go-to guy around here."

"He wouldn't have left the training program on."

"Maybe someone told him they'd watch it for him," I threw out.

"No one—" Zack paused in mid-sentence before frowning in thought.

We were silent for a moment. The moment was about to stretch on to an eternity unless I said something; so, I said something.

"What?"

Zack shook his head, "Well… No, nothing. That can't be it. He's left Shin-Ra. I don't know who else Sephiroth would trust with the training program. Unless it was one of the scientists. Come to think of it, there _is _this one old guy who sometimes watches over the training sessions."

Old guy. Scientist. Greasy head of hair with spectacles, bad posture, and the worst, nasally, nerd voice known to man.

"Hojo," I growled lowly.

"You know him?" Zack asked, surprised I knew someone it appeared.

"I'm the reason she's in SOLDIER currently, _boy_," Hojo's voice rang throughout the room. "As for Sephiroth, he was called away by the President, and I was the only one available to keep an eye on you two. He was hesitant at first, but I gave him my word that I wouldn't let anything happen."

"That couldn't have been creepier than if his voice had come down from the heavens going, 'You're going to die in seven days'," I mumbled quietly.

"What?" Zack whispered back.

"Never mind," I replied with a wave of my hand. I spoke up, "Where are you, old man? Tell me so I can stab you."

"Now, now. That's not very polite of you, Anubis. I wouldn't be so rude to me if I were you. After all, I control the very room you're now in."

"Is he always this creepy with you?" I asked, looking over at Zack.

Zack shrugged helplessly.

Hojo was silent for a moment before speaking, "I have just had a genius idea. Since I'm here now, I should run one of my programs. Perhaps my modified Black Widow? That would coincide with the malfunctioned equipment scheme Sephiroth came up with. A pitiful scenario, I might add, but considering Anubis' involvement, I can see why it was used."

"Ouch," I mumbled, frowning. Everybody seemed to love pointing out I was the newbie.

The expression on Zack's face was not giving me happy feelings. I wondered what a robot with the name of Black Widow would look like. Spider-like was the obvious guess, but I knew if Hojo was involved then it wasn't going to be that simple. Probably spider-like with a few guns added on; maybe a rocket launcher or two.

"Hojo, she's not ready for that," Zack replied.

"Maybe," Hojo mumbled. "Whether she can or she can't isn't what concerns me. I want to know how much of a beating that suit can take before it reaches its limit, and just what will happen once it does."

"Hey!" Zack shouted, trying to scold the old scientist.

"Leave it, Zack," I smirked. "The old man's always had it out for me, I think."

He gave me an uneasy look. I ignored it and looked around, "Load the program, Hojo. Let's see if you can find this suit's breaking point are not. Bet ya can't."

Hojo laughed that insane laugh of his. When he didn't respond and just kept on laughing, I knew something was up.

"Zack," I muttered as the boy drew his sword again, "he's already loaded it, hasn't he?"

"By that laugh of his," Zack replied, "I'd say, yes. Yes, he has. And I suggest you take cover."

"Why?"

"Because you're not good at dodging bullets," he replied as we began inching our way towards one of the buildings scattered about the landscape.

I thought for a moment that he was teasing me, making fun of how I got shot in Junon trying to save an ungrateful, old bastard. But, then I remembered that Zack hadn't been there and probably didn't even know a thing about the event. Why would he? I was a Turk back then, and Turks had a habit of keeping things to themselves. Of course, according to Shin-Ra's papers, Anubis had never been a Turk. Anubis just _was_. How they explained the spontaneous appearance of a woman in a dog suit was beyond me. On Earth there would have been no way in hell they'd have gotten away with it.

Then I remembered the cameras that had been focused on the President for the speech. It was possible that one of them had caught me and Sephiroth somehow, doing our best to look like loyal guard dogs. If that was the case, then Zack _could_ know what happened at Junon. That is, of course, if he had been watching TV.

After a second or two of my thoughts going around in circles, I finally registered the tone in which Zack used when making his bullets statement. I gave him a suspicious glance.

"Are you saying _you _can dodge bullets?" I asked, somewhat glaring as we stopped beside the building.

Zack turned away from surveying our surroundings and gave me a small, amused smile, "Sometimes. If I can't dodge them, I can usually deflect them."

"And if you can't deflect them?" I asked as I glanced at the broadsword in his hands.

"Then it's a quick trip to the infirmary and a Cure spell."

"Are you two going to hide all day talking about nonsense?" Hojo's voice echoed. "Or are you going to actually finish this mission?"

"Oh, I don't know," I replied. "Zack, do you think if we wait long enough that Sephiroth will come back and just be like _whapish _to Hojo?"

Zack cocked his head to the side, "What is that? The sound of Sephiroth backhanding him?"

"The correct term is 'bitch-slap,' but, yes, it was. Or _ka-stab_. He could always _ka-stab_ him."

"Enough of this foolishness!" Hojo suddenly screeched. His voice was loud enough to make both Zack and me flinch. "Black Widow, annihilate them!"

I smirked at Zack, "I think we made him ang—"

Before I could finish my sentence, the ground shook with a thunderous boom. I was caught off-guard and nearly stumbled. In front of both Zack and me had landed yet another robot. This one bigger than the Sweepers. Set on a numerous amount of spider-like legs, it had, on one arm, a flower-looking attachment, and on the other was a rocket-launcher. Well, what do you know. I had been _mostly_ right.

The various components of the machine whirred and clicked loudly as they moved in place, setting its sights on the pitiful, fleshy things in front of it. It pointed the flower-like attachment at me, causing me to frown. What the hell could that thing do? I wondered.

Zack's head whipped around at me, "Saan!"

Without warning he launched at me, grabbed a hold of my right arm, and took off running. He'd nearly yanked me off my feet, and before I could ask him just exactly _what _he thought he was doing, a torrent of machine gun fire erupted. Needless to say, I kicked my ass into high gear as I heard the bullets tear at the ground behind us. Zack was extremely fast, even for someone carrying a heavy broadsword and toting a dumb blonde after him. We managed to make it to the next building in record-breaking time, diving behind it just as the robot's bullets caught up with us.

"You coulda warned me!" I shrieked as pieces of the building broke off as bullets pounded into it.

"What did you think it was for?" Zack shouted back, obviously under as much pressure as I was.

I stuttered, "I don't know! If I had known it was a machine-gun arm, I wouldn't have stared at it like an idiot!"

"Regretting ever having told Hojo to upload that program yet?" Zack asked in an annoyed tone as we scooted away from the edge of the building—which was quickly disappearing.

"Oh, shut up," I snapped. Moving over to the other side of the building and behind some debris, I tried to get a good look at the robot, "How strong is this thing? How fast? Is it stronger than the Sweepers? What am I saying, of course it is."

Zack was crouch-walking his way over to me, "Yes, it's stronger than the Sweepers, and it can be pretty fast when it wants to be. Luckily, we can hear it coming a mile away."

The Black Widow had given up on trying to shoot an enemy it couldn't see and was clunking its way over to the building we were hiding behind. He did have a point, but...

"We didn't the first time," I grumbled, giving him a sideways glance.

"That's because Hojo cheated," Zack replied.

"I have no reasons to cheat," Hojo said suddenly. "Not noticing my experiment hiding in that house was your own mistake."

"You're cheating now!" I shouted at the sky, "You can hear every damn word we say. What's stopping you from relaying it to your damn flunky? Or should I say clunky?"

"Please. That robot's smart enough that it can find you even without my aid. Besides, like I said, I have no reasons nor intentions in cheating during this..._experiment_. Doing so would only contaminate the results."

"How is telling the robot where to find me to kill me contaminating the results?" I asked, mostly to myself.

"Your suit's not the only thing I'm interested in, Anubis," Hojo replied.

"Oh, I see," I mumbled. "A two-fer. You find the breaking point _and_ see how well the robot operates."

"Anubis," Zack interrupted, calm enough to remember my SOLDIER alias. "I think we have bigger problems to deal with."

Looking up, I noticed that the robot had stopped its advance and was standing stock-still. Then I realized what it was doing. It was aiming and not with the machine gun. My eyes widened behind my helmet as I dashed off to the left, away from the building and towards another one.

"Run!" I shouted.

I didn't have to; Zack had figured it out as well and was hot on my heels. The missile collided with the building not two seconds after we had begun to run. Concrete and glass went shattering everywhere. Zack went colliding into me and we both fell to the ground as debris rained down around us. Just as quick as he went down, Zack was back up and yanking me to my feet. My ears were ringing and I was slightly woozy, but I managed to keep up with him as we dived behind another house.

"This is stupid!" I shouted at the same time Zack shouted something at me, but since my ears were still ringing I didn't hear a word he said.

"What?" We both asked.

I blinked and shook my head to get the bells out. I managed to speak first, "This is stupid!"

"What is?" Zack asked before he ducked to avoid the exploding glass from one of the windows of the house.

"Running! Running is stupid!" I exclaimed. "We're not going to get anywhere with this. It's just going to keep pounding us and pounding us until we fuckin' die. I don't want to die in a fuckin' video game!"

"It's not a video game," Hojo interrupted blandly.

"It's a video game!" I screeched, thrusting my arms into the air. "It's a fuckin' hologram, and we're fighting packets of data. _That_, my friend,_ is a video game_. This one just happens to be lethal. Now, Hojo, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to talk strategy with my friend here so will you _please_, Go. The fuck. Away."

"You swear a lot when your under stress," Zack mumbled, slightly amused despite the sound of the robot approaching us.

"I also hit people," I growled through clenched teeth, my hand strangling my staff. "Now will you kindly tell me how to beat that damn thing so I can go home?"

"Uh," Zack stuttered as he looked through the busted window, "I usually just run around and slash at them until they blow up. Their legs are their weakest points."

I stared at him, "You know damn well I can't do that. I would become a pin cushion. Are they weak against electrical attacks?"

Zack turned back to face me, "You know. Actually, I think they are."

"Well, then, there ya go," I said standing up—a move that caused much pain after crouching for so long. "You run around and slash and I'll stay back at a safe distance and shock it to death."

"Sounds like a plan," Zack replied as he readied his sword. "Just don't hit me."

"I'll try not to."

With that being said, Zack took off from the right side of the house while I dashed around the left. The Black Widow immediately began to move, whirring and clicking as its blue eye tried to pinpoint one or the other of us. It seemed confused at first about who to fire at, but once Zack got closer to it, it chose him. Its legs moved like the spider it was named for as it swiveled to face him; it aimed both arms at him.

I growled. "Ah, no ya don't." Bringing my staff around I pointed the three prongs at the Widow, "Thundara!"

Usually, I didn't say the full name of the spell—sometimes I didn't even have to say anything—but, since Zack was near it, I decided a vocal command would be a good warning for the dark-headed kid to move. And by saying the full name of the spell he would know exactly what might hit his spikey-headed ass.

Lightning launched from my staff, traveled over the barren ground, and found its mark. The robot jerked violently from the surge in power. Zack saw his opening and went for it, bringing his sword down on the Widow's lower half. Unfortunately, unlike with my Bull Head, one hit was not one kill. Zack only managed to cut a deep gash into the machine and, before he could do anything else, it had already recovered from Thundara. He jumped away in time to avoid get trampled as the robot charged him.

I growled again. My spell hadn't worked as efficiently as it should have because I was too far away. I would have to get closer if I wanted to do any _real_ damage. Of course, that meant getting closer to the bullets and the missiles. Oh well, I thought, all's well that ends well.

Zack was running circles around the Black Widow, trying to find another opening, as I ran towards it. The machine didn't seem to like that too much. It charged at Zack again, forcing him to back off. When Zack was far enough away, the Widow showed just how flexible it could be. In one fluid motion, the machine swiveled and fired a missile at me and, without stopping, fired not only a missile but also a hail of gunfire at the boy.

I ducked to avoid getting blown to smithereens. The missile flew over me and hit the ground a good piece behind me. Frantic, I looked up to see what had happened to Zack. He must have dodged his missile as well, because he was in one piece and not singed; however, the Widow hadn't stopped its barrage of bullets.

As I resumed my attack, I watched as Zack charged at the robot. Bullets bounced around at his feet and any that came close to hitting him, he just knocked out of the way with his sword—as if he did it for a living. Hell, he probably did. Swinging his sword over his head, he launched into the air and came down on the robot's gun arm; it sliced in two like hot butter.

Zack jumped back from the Widow as part of it exploded. Then I saw the small movements of the gears on the robots remaining arm, saw it load another missile.

"Zack!" I cried out. He was way to close to dodge. "Zack, move!"

He didn't even have time to head my warning. The Widow fired the missile. Zack's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. He brought his sword up across his chest to try and deflect the attack. It was a move that might have worked on bullets, but not on missiles. The weapon collided with his sword, exploding on contact, and throwing him backwards with tremendous force. He hit the ground hard and rolled, his broken sword flying wildly through the air in three separate pieces.

I roared and launched myself at the Black Widow. The whole time it had been focused on Zack it had ignored me; and the fact that I had been closing in on it. It whirred as it turned to see what the commotion was about, causing me to land on its remaining arm. I jumped back into the air, much like Zack had done moments before, and brought my staff down upon its head. The diamond cut through the metal just as it had done with the Bull Heads.

I was exhausted; I was worried; I was pissed. Without much thought, I forced my Thundara spell to go down the end of my staff and into the robot. It did, coursing across the metal and shocking the robot continuously—because I was continuously willing the Materia to cast. Somehow, the electricity traveled around my hands, never once shocking me. In my rage, I forgot what happened when high voltage met machinery. It explodes.

I cried out as I was knocked back, flipping once in the air before hitting the ground on my shoulders. I tumbled over like a rag doll to wind up on my back.

"Ow," I moaned. My eyes widened as I saw my staff tumbling through the air. Rolling quickly to the side, I just managed to avoid getting speared.

"You okay?" Zack asked.

I looked over to see him kneeling beside me, a worried look on his face. I could only stare at him. So many thoughts and questions were running through my head, but the two that stuck out the most were: What the hell kind of a question is that? And, "How come you get blasted by a missile and walk away and yet I get thrown off a robot and feel like shit?"

He merely smiled, "I guess because I wasn't recently injected with Mako. That stuff usually tends to take it out of you." He stood up and offered me his hand, "Come on."

"_Yeah_..." I trailed off wearily before accepting his offer.

Zack didn't know I didn't have any Mako running through my veins. That explained a lot, actually. Why he was so fast, and how he was able to do all the things he did without even blinking an eye. How he was able to walk away from that missile blast, hell, probably even his attitude came from the power Mako was giving him. On second thought, his attitude was probably all him.

I knew then that I was going to have problems as a SOLDIER. I had seen a small portion of what Sephiroth could do, and I'd seen what Zack could do, and I knew that I would never be able to do anything like it. Not without some magical liquid coursing through my veins, and that was an impossibility given the fact that it would kill me instead of help me. Everyone, with the exception of Sephiroth and Lazard, would think me a weakling. The black sheep in the powerful SOLDIER army. Well, given the color of my suit, I guess I wasn't too far off.

I winced a little as I plucked my staff out the ground. I was going to _ache_ in the morning. Without warning, the landscape, the buildings, and the blue sky all disappeared to be replaced with the dull gray room from before.

I flinched, "I didn't do it..."

"Guess that means training's over," Zack said, ignoring my comment and walking towards the glass doors—the ones stating the obvious by saying 'Lv. 49 Training Room.'

I followed after him, and when we reached the hallway, I saw the second thing I hadn't been expecting to see that day. Hojo, Sephiroth, and Lazard were all standing a few feet from the door, apparently having an argument, as a small number of Seconds and Thirds were gathering around. At least, I figured they were _trying_ to gather 'round. Anytime they got too close, both Sephiroth and Hojo would give glares that would shame a devil, making the younger men quickly go about their business.

Lazard was halfway through a sentence when he and the others spotted Zack's and my arrival. He promptly shut his mouth and frowned.

"How was the mission?" He asked. It was obvious he was tense, and I had a good clue as to why.

"Peachy," I grinned. "If you take into account the old man hijacked us and threw his Black Widow down upon us."

Lazard's eyes snapped back to Hojo and he gave him a look I knew he'd already given him once that day.

"I did nothing of the sort, I tell you," Hojo replied calmly. "Sephiroth was needed elsewhere and I volunteered to watch over these two during their mission."

"The Black Widow wasn't part of the program," Sephiroth said.

"Ok, I admit, that was my doing, but it wasn't all my idea. Anubis here—"

"Bullshit!" I exclaimed at the same time Zack came out with, "Don't blame it on her!"

Naturally, since I was the one using profanities, everyone's eyes were on me—waiting for an explanation to the madness.

"What happened?" Lazard asked. When Hojo tried to open his mouth Lazard silenced the scientist by raising his hand. Miraculously, the old man 'hmph'ed and remained silent.

"Sephiroth took us into the training room. He loaded some program, said that some robots were going about terrorizing the villagers," I tried my damnedest to go on despite the weird looks both the General and Director were giving me, "Zack went to investigate. Then, I got snuck up on by a Sweeper. Zack killed it and two others. I killed a Bull Head, Zack killed the other one. That's when we got suspicious because Sephiroth wasn't responding and then Hojo was like 'Whoo, I'm in the ceiling.' What?"

Lazard was rubbing his eyebrows, "The basics, Anubis, please. And I would appreciate it if you didn't talk to us like we were morons."

I blinked and sighed, "Yeah, all right. Hojo decided it would be a good idea to test his 'newly improved' Black Widow, whether or not that was his intentions to begin with, I have no idea. But, he set one on us anyway, and somehow we managed to live through all the machine gun fire and exploding missiles. Although," I added, "Zack got blown up, and I got blown back when the robot exploded and I almost broke my neck."

Sephiroth frowned, "Why did the Black Widow explode? Did it malfunction?"

I frowned. More worried about the robot than poor little Saan, now were we? I thought bitterly.

"Pah!" Hojo barked. "Hardly. My modified machine was a complete success. It was destroyed when your new recruit did a rather stupid, if not daring, move by jumping onto the robot's body, stabbing into its core, and shocking it with a few Thundara spells.

"At first, I thought that diamond on the end of the staff was a very ridiculous move made by its creator, but it actually was very smart. Diamonds, being one of the hardest substances on the planet, can cut through nearly everything. I'm ashamed to admit that that weapon is a lot stronger than I thought it to be."

"Yes, yes, whatever," Lazard mumbled waving his hand. He faced Hojo with a hard stare, "This was meant to be a routine mission for Zack, and a beginner mission for Anubis, and you, Hojo, nearly turned it into their _last_ mission. From now on, you are not permitted into the Training Room without my permission, and if you pull something like this again, I _will_ bring it up with the President."

Hojo smirked, "Tell me, Lazard. Do you honestly think the President would listen to you over me?"

"He would," I interrupted.

I'd had about enough of Hojo's attitude, thinking he was better than everybody else simply because he was a scientist and all scientists were under the impression that their minds were bigger, and therefore better, than the general populous. I figured it was about time I tried to put him back in his place. Cut him down to size. And what better way to do it than blackmail?

Granted, I didn't have any way of blackmailing him myself, but I knew of a way to make him tremble in his shoes. I also knew that the person who could do it wouldn't mind in the least of getting used in the way I was about to use him. My weapon of choice: Sephiroth. From day one, I was under the impression that the General and the old man didn't see eye to eye on anything, and it appeared that Sephiroth damn near hated the man's guts. And Hojo, well, if he was as smart as he thought he was, he'd get where I was going with my next statement.

Everyone looked at me as I stared at Hojo, challenging him to doubt my next words, "If Sephiroth was involved in your little _accident_."

Hojo frowned. The gears were clicking in his head. That's right, I thought. If Sephiroth claims that he was involved in your next little mishap—which knowing Hojo's curiosity would undoubtedly take place—and Lazard moaned at the President that his knight in shining armor was almost injured, Shin-Ra would be pissed. He would take it out on Hojo. The look in Hojo's eye told me he'd figured out what I meant.

The old man smiled mischievously. "You'll go far in this company with that attitude, Anubis. As for your proposal, Lazard," Hojo looked at the Director, "I'll allow it. Granted you keep tabs on all training scenarios and missions that Anubis undergoes and relay them to me for further analysis."

"I'll think about it," Lazard mumbled, already beginning to look tired.

"Please do. Now, if you'll excuse me I have _real_ work to do," Hojo replied before stalking away. I stared after him, watching him as he acted as if he was the most important person in Shin-Ra.

"Now, if you'd excuse me I have _real_ work to do," I mocked in a falsetto voice. "Ass. Why the hell do you people put up with him?"

I turned back to face the guys as Lazard answered, "Because, unfortunately, he's the smartest man in this building. And we need his knowledge on Mako, Materia, and various other things this company runs on."

"Other than a few personality issues," Zack commented. "I don't see why he's so bad. Then again, this is the first time I've met him in person," he shrugged.

Sephiroth chuckled. The same chuckle I'd heard the day before.

"Not bad? That man's not even half as good as Professor Gast was."

"Who was Professor Gast?" I asked.

"The head of the Science Department before Hojo was," Lazard answered. "Sadly, he died about twenty years ago. Hojo's been in charge ever since. Anyways, enough of just standing around here. Sephiroth, you have your orders."

Sephiroth nodded and took his leave.

"Zack, you'll be accompanying him. He can debrief you on the way," Lazard added.

"Sweet!" Zack exclaimed before bouncing after the General.

Lazard and I watched the two men walk away, and only after they'd disappeared around the corner did Lazard face me again. He stared at me for a moment, seemingly gathering his thoughts, before finally speaking.

"Is what Hojo says true?" He asked. My confused look made him go on, "Did you really destroy that Black Widow?"

"Sorta," I replied. "Zack had already slashed it. I was only able to jump on it because it was focused more on him than me."

Lazard frowned, "Why did you do something so stupid? Didn't you know how strong those machines are?"

"Sir," I began, "it was shooting at me and Zack, and firing missiles at us. It'd already blown up a house. I knew how strong it was. That's why I had to stop it. Hojo wouldn't have terminated the program and there was no telling when Sephiroth would have gotten back. Plus, Zack could have been seriously injured by that missile blast. I thought he had, that's the only reason I jumped on it on the first place. Had I been thinking clearly, I wouldn't have done it."

Lazard was silent for a moment before turning and walking away.

"Follow me," he said, "there's something I want to give you."

Frowning, I did as I was told. He wound up leading me to the storage bins that Jerry had mentioned. I watched as he pushed a button on one. It opened slowly. Lazard reached in, pulled out a Materia and tossed it at me. I managed to catch it with my left hand. It was green.

"What's this?" I asked.

"It's a Restore Materia," Lazard replied. "It grants you the ability to use Cure."

"Why are you giving it to me?" I asked, sincerely confused.

"I believe it suits you," he said. "From what you told me about what happened during your mission, you were more focused on staying away from the robot and Zack's safety. That is until you thought your friend was in danger. Only then did you leap into action. Not that that's wrong," Lazard quickly added sensing the glare I was giving him. "I'm just pointing it out. It's a fact that means you'd be best suited as a long range user and healer."

"Does that mean I can change weapons?"

"I'm afraid not. Both Hojo and the President are quite curious to find out what the white Materia in your staff can do. You haven't figured that out yet, have you?" Lazard asked hopefully.

"No," I replied.

"What about your Destruct and Revive Materia? Have you tried those?"

I stared hard at Lazard. Then, when I remembered he couldn't see most of my face, I replied with short and snappy, "No."

Lazard laughed, "I didn't think you had. You probably could, if you wanted to. Anyways, like I was saying, since you can't use a long range weapon, you'd probably be best sticking to the routine you've been using. The shocking people from afar one?" He was smiling, "Of course, now that you have Cure, you might want to balance out your magic use. Also, maybe now you'll focus more on the task at hand than your friends during missions? Seeing as how you can heal them."

"You keep bringing up missions," I grumbled irritably as I placed my new Restore Materia into the last slot of my staff. "I didn't think I was going to get any _real_ missions until I became a Third."

Lazard's eyebrow raised as he gave me an amused smile, "Yes, I guess I did."

I blinked, and then it registered what he was saying, "I made Third?"

"Well," he replied, "you certainly did prove your determination. And you _did_ manage to take down a Black Widow. Even if you had a little help."

His sentence took a moment to sink in, but when it did, I couldn't believe my ears. I'd made Third! Nearly died doin' it, but I made it! I squealed, much to Lazard's surprise, rushed over to him and began shaking his hand vigorously—which, in turn, shook his entire body.

"I made Third!" I exclaimed, "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! Ah hahaha!" I spun around, putting my finger into the air. "Take that. I _am _the man! Woman... Whatever."

I spun back around to face Lazard again, a grin plastered on my face. The Director was looking at me as if I'd just grown another head. Given my sudden shift of mood, I could understand why. I was babbling like an idiot. But, I was in such a good mood, I didn't give a damn.

"When's the next mission?" I asked enthusiastically, bouncing on my feet.

"Uh..." Lazard stuttered, trying to regain his composure, "Tomorrow. I suppose."

"Huzzah. I'll be here first thing in the morning!" I exclaimed before running towards the elevators, the whole while quietly singing, "I made Third, I made Third."

The elevator doors opened when I approached them, and because of my manic state, I didn't see the poor blond kid standing in the back of the elevator. I slid in, hit the second floor button, and grinned at the doors as they closed. Only then did the boy make his presence known.

"Uh..."

I jumped a little and looked over my shoulder. My eyes widened when I realized I wasn't alone. Luckily for me, the boy couldn't see how creeped out I was about his sudden appearance. Even though, technically, it hadn't been sudden since people didn't appear out of thin air and he'd probably been standing there for quite some time.

"Oh, my bad," I said, pointing at the doors. "Did you want out?"

"Yes," he mumbled, frowning at me.

"Oh... Oops."

The boy's frown deepened and, eventually, he scooted past me, pushed the button for the forty-ninth floor, and scooted back. He wasn't that much younger than Zack, and had to at least have been Jerry's age. His blond hair, blue eyes, and light complexion gave me the impression that he was from somewhere up North with a cold climate. At least, that's how things worked on Earth. Why else had almost all the Vikings and Germanic people have fair hair, eyes, and skin?

Feeling slightly upset that I might have accidentally ruined the boy's day by preventing him from getting off the elevator, I decided to make small talk. Naturally, the first thing to come to mind was my promotion.

"I made Third," I blurted out.

The boy jumped a little, "O-okay?"

"What Class are you?" I asked.

"I'm...not one..." He replied gloomily, lowering his head liked a kicked puppy.

"Oh," I muttered.

Had I paid any attention to the uniform he was wearing, I would have recognized it for a normal Grunt. But I wasn't, and I didn't, and it sounded like I had just hit a sore spot. Apparently, I was destined to make the kid feel like shit. I rocked back and forth on my heels uncomfortably. Where could I go from there?

"So, what were you doing at the SOLDIER floor?" I asked innocently.

The boy took the bait, "I was supposed to deliver a message to Lazard about—" He caught himself just in time and narrowed his eyes at me, "That's classified."

I snickered, "It almost wasn't. Lighten up!" I said when he all but glared at me, "It was a joke."

"Maybe you should get serious," the boy mumbled.

I frowned, "Wow, well ain't you a spoil-sport. Where ya from?"

He seemed to be thinking whether or not telling me would come back to haunt him or not. Eventually he answered.

"Nibelheim."

I blinked, "Nibelheim? Ain't that near Rocket Town?"

"Sort of," he replied. "You can reach it by going through Mt. Nibel, I know that. Why? Is that where you're from?"

I smirked, "Something like that. And does Mr. Nibelheim have a name, or should I call him Spikey? Or Chocobo, considering your hair color."

"Cloud," he replied, frowning again.

It seemed he didn't like getting picked on that much. Almost the complete opposite of Zack. In fact, in a lot of ways he was different than Zack. Zack was boisterous and full of energy, whereas the Cloud kid was quiet, seemingly shy, and didn't seem the type to run off while shouting to sky how he was going to become a hero. I was sure at some point Cloud probably wanted to be a hero, or something of that nature, or he wouldn't have joined Shin-Ra's military. But, as a Grunt, he probably wouldn't have many opportunities to prove himself.

"Well," I said as the elevator doors finally opened on the second floor, "been nice talkin' to ya Cloud. And who knows, maybe one day you'll make SOLDIER."

I only made it a step out of the elevator before I heard Cloud ask, "Really?"

I frowned, a little caught off guard, then looked back at him and smiled, "I did."

**A/N: Yay. Action, and Zack, and Cloud, oh my! Please forgive my lack of writing flare at the end there. I'm going to sum it up by saying: Rhemutoid Arthritis is a bitch. Seriously, the joints between my neck bones are swollen and its putting pressure on my...well, hell, I don't know. But, I can't think straight. x-x Ugh.**

**As for the actual Chapter, I wasn't even going to put in that part with the Black Widow at first. Ronnie suggested it and, if you've played Dirge of Cerberus, you can understand why my initial reaction was, "And die? -stare-" Vincent's not as good a****t**** dodging bullets as Zack is -shakes head- And especially not when I'm controlling him, eh heh. But, overall, I'm glad I put it in. Because it was fun to write and actually had me on a roll. And then it ended and I was like, "Well, poo."**

**Also, don't be afeared, Saan is not taking Zack's place in Cloud's future life. I would never do that. Cloud needs his Zack -nod- just like I do... -glomps Zack and cries, wipes eyes, blows nose, goes about her business- The next chapter...I have no ideas for. So, it might start as sudden as this one did. And it definately won't be the day after. Because I'm getting bored doing that, and ya'll probably are, too. Also, I'm trying to avoid the fuckin' elevators from now on. Ya'll've (big contraction, fear it) probably noticed EVERYTHING happens in the damn elevators. O.o I don't know why.**

**Wow, longest Author's Note ever. This is what happens when I don't have Internet for weeks. I talk. A lot. To no one. Because even though you're going to read this, right now as I write it, no one is here. I'm all by my lonesome. Sitting in my room with some fleas, Ronnie's Playstation 3, and a used copy of FFVIII which freezes at the part where Selphie shows up. I. Have. Lost. My. Mind. AAAAAAAH! -.- Reviews are much appreciated, I love you, and good-bye.**

_**Edit: The Author's Notes get longer –nod- -coughs- Damn sinuses. I forgot I mentioned Gast in this chapter…frak. Also, I amused myself reading me and Zack screaming at one another during that battle. I've forgotten some conversations; so, it's like reading it again for the first time :D.**_


	15. Behemoth

**A/N: I'm getting to the actual storyline. Which means, I'mma be jumpin' a lot. And I can't wait. Ok, so it's not **_**actual**_** storyline. It is but it ain't. I fucked up the Before Crisis part and made that happen before it was supposed to, but I also wanted to have scenes everyone was familiar with from Crisis Core, so...I pulled an Ultimecia and screwed with space-time. As long as everyone comes out okay in the end we're still good, right? Oh, I want Dissidia so bad -growls-**

**Disclaimer: No own Final Fantasy VII. I do however own myself, and Jerry, and this plot, and **_**very shitty Financial Aid people**_**. Note to future college students: DO NOT WAIT LAST MINUTE TO TURN IN FINANCIAL AID... In my defense, I didn't know it was last minute. No Internet to check those things. That is all. -turns off megaphone-**

**PS: Thank you to Fyrflame for attempting to give me ideas. Little did you know how close you were to my true intentions for this chapter. As you all might know, I do not have internet. Which means my responses to you shall be slow. It is not because I do not love you.**

_**Edited on 18 October 2010 for errors and goofs. So…hungry… But the pizza's cookin' so I can't complain too much :D. And the storyline is still messed up a little, but not as bad as before. And I have Dissidia.**_

Ever get the feeling you're being watched? How about the one where you _know_ you're being watched and there's nothing you can do about it? It's not near as creepy, but it is ten times more annoying. Especially when the Shin-Ra company is the one doing the watching.

Life as a SOLDIER. Where do I begin? It was...eventful. If you consider rudimentary missions and 'check-ups' anything but. I was always either training, or running around after Zack like a little lost puppy—oh, how the tides had changed!—wondering what the hell I was supposed to be doing, or what I _was_ doing on certain occasions. Those were the fun times.

Every once in a while, Zack would be unavailable to train with me and I'd be forced upon Sephiroth—President's orders—who received my company in a very nice, if not horribly bored and put out, manner. I was sure that, every once in a while, I had caught him staring at the back of my head like, "Why the fuck do I have to put up with this idiot?" I couldn't have agreed with him more.

I had no idea what I was doing. That's what the training was for. But...I had no idea what I was doing. Period. The other Third Class SOLDIERS knew more than what I did. They were more experienced fighters, they knew more about Materia than I did... The only 'leg up' I had on them was my Thunder Materia. It was a level higher than theirs. Oh, and I looked cooler. Granted, we all looked like we couldn't see where we were going, but I looked like I couldn't see where I was going _with style_. Not many people could say that.

Days into my SOLDIER life, and I still couldn't tell anybody apart from anybody else. I don't think I have to point out why again. Luckily, 'Hey' 'You' and '-stare-' seemed to get people's attention and I didn't have to remember names. Not that I didn't remember a few here and there. Sephiroth and Zack were no-brainers but, other than them, there was Kunsel (some Second-Class in purple who was one of Zack's friends), Jerry (who still hadn't fixed his helmet and, though he was a Grunt, he refused to go far from the SOLDIER floor), and Cloud. Cloud not so much as the other guys.

I never really saw him again. Though, that didn't stop me from staring at every pale Grunt in the halls wondering if there was a head of blond, spiky hair hiding under that helmet. Kunsel I borrowed from Zack from time to time. The kid knew a lot about what was going on with Shin-Ra and had no problems in telling it to anybody who asked. Plus, he helped me out a lot with getting my stuff together before missions, which was something I sometimes forgot to do.

One time, I forgot to pick up a useful item from those storage bins near the debriefing room... That didn't end too well. Luckily, Zack was the one with me for that lovely, little trip and I only had to do with a slightly amused scolding. Sephiroth would have glared at me and I would have instantly burst into flames...and then he would have brought me back to life so that he could lecture me about how stupid I had been, and a lot of other not-so-nice things that would have made me sulk all the way home only to pout while Ronnie watched me watch television as he secretly thought, "What's up with her?"

Something like that had happened once before. It was in the training room. The setting had been in some forest and Sephiroth was _trying_ to teach me how to use a Fire Materia efficiently. Well, after about a dozen or so bugs I was on a roll and failed to recognize the Bomb that had appeared until I had already shot it with a Fire spell. Fire spells did jack-shit to fire monsters and, apparently, I'd pissed off the Bomb because it chose that opportune moment to blow up in my face, sending me flying backwards and knocking my helmet off my head to land in some virtual bushes a few ways off.

While I was picking myself up off the ground sporting a bruised ego, Sephiroth took it upon himself to play teacher and lecture me about what I had done wrong. I knew what I had done wrong, he didn't need to tell me, and in my anger I threw him my glare to end all glares. Which he quickly surpassed with one of his own and I felt like crawling under a rock. I spent the rest of that day pacing back and forth and bitchin' to Ronnie about Almighty Sephiroth.

And, though I bad-mouthed Sephiroth left and right, that didn't stop me from using him to my advantage—without his knowledge, of course. The 'check-ups' I mentioned earlier were Hojo's little way of keeping tabs on me. I knew that. He knew that I knew that. And, I also knew that he was scheming against me in some way, shape, or form to make me his little puppet. Sensing that that would most likely have endangered my health, I made sure never to agree to Hojo's little 'check-ups' unless Sephiroth was in the building and not five floors away from me.

It was extremely childish behavior on my part. I didn't hate Sephiroth, I liked him. I could tell that, even though anti-social, he was an alright sort of guy. One that could royally piss me off, but that was beside the point. I saw him as my knight in shining armor. Not the traditional one, mind you, but I did have this, "If anyone can get me out of a sticky situation, it's him," mindset. Why couldn't he? Allegedly, he was the strongest guy in the world. Now, if he would or not was an entirely different thing.

Fortunately, for me, Sephiroth didn't like Hojo. I abused that fact often. See, Hojo also liked to keep tabs on Sephiroth and his whereabouts. This led to a fun little game he liked to play called, "Let's see if we can get Saan in today without Sephiroth being anywhere near her." And then I played a little game I liked to call, "Let's reschedule it for a day when Sephiroth is _bound_ to be in the Shin-Ra building, and watch as Hojo _has_ to agree or miss his chance _period_." He would counter with a move called 'Being a creepy scientist,' and then I would counter with, 'The Sephiroth threat.'

When I wasn't doing missions, training, or dodging Hojo, I was in Shin-Ra's library reading whatever I could get my sinister, little hands on. Yes, Shin-Ra had a library, full of all its little secrets and a lot of things that weren't so secret. Ancients, Mako, you name it, they had it. The books weren't always in the room they were supposed to be in—some people just didn't believe in putting things back where they belong—but, if I was interested in a subject, I found it sooner or later.

For such big books, they didn't have as much information as I hoped they'd have. Usually just the same stuff repeated in different ways, or half-brained theories that scientists and historians of old had come up with based on very few facts. The information on the Ancients was a prime example.

Straight and to the point: They were a race that existed a long time ago, had a way of communicating to the planet, and probably were the first ones to utilize magic. They also had this thing called the Promised Land that reminded me a lot of religious teachings. Do good in life, die, and go to this land that is promised to one for being such a good boy/girl. Don't, and, well, one was fucked. But, the way the books ran on and on, it seemed to me that Gaians—Shin-Ra mostly—believed it to be a real place. I thought they were reading it wrong and ignored the crazies.

The Mako books seemed to be written by Shin-Ra itself and went on about how good it was for energy, how they could refine it with reactors, etc. What I focused on was the mentions of monsters and plant life around the reactors once they became active.

Monster sightings always went up around reactors, and sometimes Shin-Ra encountered big nasties, too. Like dragons and Behemoths. (There was that word again. Behemoth.) But, I couldn't figure out the answer to that; so, I moved onto the other shocking piece of information.

Wherever reactors were built, shortly after becoming activated, the plant life in the region would die out. That was strange to me. There were no reasons for it. The reactors, according to the books, didn't release anything toxic into the air or the ground during the process of refinement.

I don't know how long I spent flipping pages back and forth, picking up other books and scanning through them, trying to find a reason and not being able to.

I never found out.

Before I knew it, days became weeks and, suddenly, a month had gone by. I still hadn't made Second, but the way Zack went on about it, hardly anybody did right off the bat. Kunsel said it took him months to reach Second. I didn't have months. Well, I guess I did, but I didn't want to take that long. I was a very impatient person and everything had to happen right when I wanted it to, or I got upset and angry. Especially when I knew I was the one causing my own grief. So, when things began to line up the way they did, I was stupid enough to go along with it.

Hojo wasn't content with just getting video recordings of my training and reports about how my missions were fairing. Neither was the President. Together, they hatched a little plan—the ultimate test for me and my suit. A test they were sure would make or break me. Poor Lazard had no choice but to go along with it. After all, President's orders were not something you went against in Shin-Ra. No matter who you were.

—**FFVII—**

Ronnie and I were at home that day, watching a soap opera of all things, when the telephone rang. Ronnie sprang from the couch immediately and rushed to answer it. For some odd reason, I had a funny feeling that it was for me. I got such a feeling of dread that I crossed my arms in front of my chest and sank into the couch. I always did that whenever I sensed the phone call was for me. Don't ask me why.

"Hel-lo?" Ronnie asked. I don't know if he ever noticed it or not, but he always answered a phone like his father.

Ronnie was silent for a moment before saying, "Oh, ok."

I sunk into the couch further, my knees touching the coffee table. Yep, it was for me.

"Saan, it's for you," he said, stating what I already knew.

"I'm not here," I grumbled as a woman on the screen began crying her eyes out over some man. No matter what world you were on, it was always the same stories...

"Saan says she's not here," Ronnie replied to the person on the other side of the line.

Geh! I cringed. He'd done that on purpose, which meant he most likely knew the person on the other end of the line. I didn't want to know who it was. He or she was most likely someone important.

"Ok," Ronnie said before calling out to me, "Lazard says to tell you that Lazard said that you'd best come to the phone right now as it pertains to your job."

Someone _very_ important. Sulking, I pulled myself off the couch and walked to the kitchen, where I quickly snatched the phone from Ronnie's dangling fingers. He was grinning mischievously at me. I glared at him before he went back to the living room.

"Hi," I mumbled.

"Anubis, you've been assigned another mission. It's vital that you meet with me immediately," Lazard said quick, to the point, and oddly formal.

"But," I groaned. "I just did one _yesterday_. I still ache and my legs are killing me from all the running. I'm not full of Mako, you know. Why can't somebody else do it? Like Zack or Kunsel, or some other dude who's a higher class than me?"

Ronnie was watching me intently from over the back of the couch, his chin resting on his arms. I frowned at him. I wasn't fond of people snooping on my phone conversations, even if they were more amusing than daytime television.

"No. This has to be done by you, and no one else. Now stop stalling and meet me in the debriefing room as soon as possible," the Director all but snapped.

That wasn't like him. Usually when I complained, he'd just smile that smile of his and make fun of me; how I was never going to make First with that attitude. Not that time, however. Something was up. Come to think of it, he usually never called me Anubis over the phone. Not unless someone else was within earshot.

"Sir," I asked, "is this about Hojo?"

Ronnie frowned at my mention of Hojo. I'd told him about what had happened when I was injected with Mako, but I had downplayed it _a lot_. I didn't need Ronnie worrying about it, or doing something really stupid like confronting Hojo. I'd just told him to avoid it at all costs. He was curious, of course, but said he didn't go near the stuff anyway and not to worry.

Lazard remained silent. I scowled.

"He's there, isn't he?" I asked, getting irritated at the old man. "I thought you said you wouldn't allow him to pull anything else with me when it came to training." A thought entered my mind, one that was always there, "Sephiroth's not going to like that, you know."

Ronnie rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Playing your boyfriend card again?"

I twitched. Placing the speaker of the phone on my shoulder to muffle it, I looked around, picked up a spoon nearby, and chucked it at him. He ducked and the spoon banged into the TV screen. He looked back at the TV then back at me, giving me an 'oh shit' look. I didn't care about the TV. It didn't break, it was fine.

"He can't help you on this mission, Anubis," Lazard replied gloomily.

Catching his tone of voice, I frowned. In a way, it sounded like Lazard was saying he, himself, couldn't help either. To SOLDIERs, there was only one person higher than the Director. The President. I turned around to look at the stove so that Ronnie couldn't hear me or read my lips.

"The President ordered this didn't he?" I asked. When Lazard didn't answer I swore, "Shit. What does _he_ want? Something to do with the suit, I'm guessing. So, what is it today? What wonderful ideas has he come up with to kill me? No, never mind, Hojo's the mastermind behind that duo. What—"

I paused as there was a small scuffling noise. Suddenly, the President's voice was booming in my ear.

"What in the devil are you talking about? You have your orders!"

I flinched, "Mr. President, sir!" I feigned ignorance, "I had no idea you were there! I was just trying to find out what Lazard had planned for me. If I had known _you_ were there—"

"Enough talk, Anubis! Get here immediately, or I'll dock your pay for a month! You'll be debriefed when you get here."

I could hear the phone slam down against the receiver before the line went dead. I cringed a little and slowly put my own phone back on it's hook. I didn't feel bad or sorry that I had pissed off the President, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for poor Lazard. I could only imagine what it felt like to have Hojo and Shin-Ra taking over _my_ office.

Ronnie was still staring at me over the couch. He was smiling.

"Love the way you pretended to suck up to the President there," he grinned. "What'd he say?"

I shrugged as I walked towards the front door and, ultimately, towards my boots. I didn't wear my Turk outfit anymore, but I kept the boots that went with them. I was never one for tennis shoes.

"That he'd dock my pay for a month if I didn't get there A.S.A.P.," I replied.

"Oooh," Ronnie said sarcastically, "so scary." Then he frowned, "Actually, it is a little. I don't want to lose the TV again. You did pay the cable bill, right?"

I stood up and stared at him, "Ronnie. We don't pay that stuff... Shin-Ra does."

Ronnie blinked, confused, then smiled, "Oh, yeah. Then, what have you been doing with all your money if I've been buying food?"

"Hoarding it?" I half-asked, looking around.

I was forgetting something, I just knew it. My staff, that was it. I began walking around the room, looking in corners and behind things.

"...Hoarding it where?" Ronnie asked innocently. I knew better.

"Like I'd tell you," I replied. "Have you seen my staff? I can't find it, and I know it's not upstairs."

"You didn't bring it home with you, remember? I asked you about it but you just kinda mumbled something at me before you crashed upstairs. I would have woken you up to ask about it again, but I was afraid of has-yet-to-have-coffee Saan."

I glared at him.

"She was a very scary creature back in freshman year," he added.

"My staff had better still be at the Shin-Ra building when I get back, or I'm going to be _royally_ pissed at you," I replied, pointing a finger at him as I made for the door.

He frowned, "Why? I'm not the one who lost it...you are." When I had one foot out the door he added in a sing-song voice, "Better not keep that boyfriend waiting."

I spun around, clutched the door knob tightly and glared back at him, "He's _not_ my _boyfriend_. Besides, I'm going to see Lazard, not Sephiroth."

Ronnie grinned, "I know."

I paused at that. Crossing my arms, I stared at him. First Rufus, then Sephiroth, then Lazard. Ronnie seemed to be grabbing at any male within a hundred mile radius of me to make fun of me with. He also seemed to read my mind.

"You see," he began, "if I keep naming them off, eventually I'll get it right."

"Uh-huh," I replied. "You're going to turn me into a slut before this is all over, you know that, right?"

Ronnie laughed so hard he cried. I shut the door behind me and began walking towards the Shin-Ra building. I hadn't told Ronnie yet, but I was hoarding my money to buy a vehicle. Scooter, motorcycle, car, I didn't care what it was. I was just sick and tired of walking everywhere. Especially after a grueling day of 'SOLDIER training'.

When I arrived at the Shin-Ra building, Ledi, the secretary, greeted me the same way she did every day she was working: with an ice cold stare. I ignored her, and everybody else, as I tried my damnedest to remember where I put my staff. The last thing I needed to do was show up for a 'special mission' by the President himself and only arrive with half of what he wanted.

I made it to the SOLDIER floor and nearly jumped out of my skin (and suit) when somebody grabbed a hold of my shoulder from behind. I quickly snapped my head back to see Jerry standing there calmly. At least, he had been calm until I jumped, which caused him to jump, and then we stared at one another for a moment wondering who was going to move first. My eyes drifted behind him, falling on my staff. Hesitantly, he held it out to me.

"You left this," he muttered, slightly shaken.

I stared at him and tentatively took the staff from him. I blinked, "How long have you been standing there waiting on me?"

"... A few minutes," he replied.

I frowned. I'd had a month to spend observing the kid, and I knew him well. After our first little incident, Jerry had avoided me whenever I would get near him. I didn't care. However, a week or two after that, the kid became more and more noticeable, and I was starting to expect that he was stalking me. Not hardcore stalking, but he _was_ following me on some occasions. It was flattering and unsettling at the same time.

"All together?" I asked.

"... A while."

"You didn't have to do that," I replied, almost groaning.

The boy frowned, "Do you know how much that thing is worth? What if somebody had stolen it?"

I rolled my eyes behind my helmet, "That's been brought up a few times, yes. But, you do realize this staff is one of a kind and, had it been stolen and sold, Shin-Ra would be on the bastards' ass before they could even blink?"

Jerry's shoulders sagged. I looked off to the side to avoid the half-frown, half-pout I knew was coming. Yeah, I knew he was just trying to help, but lately he'd been trying to help a little too much. Plus, if he had had missions to do and, instead of doing them he had waited by the elevator for me to come back, he would have gotten in trouble. I didn't want that on my conscience. I sighed and looked back at him. The frown was still there.

"Look, I gotta go. President's orders," I mentally smacked myself in the forehead as Jerry perked up, "so, thanks for keeping my staff safe. I guess. Yeah..."

I turned on my heel and sped-walked away. Why the hell had I mentioned that little tidbit of info? Knowing Jerry, he'd be at the sidelines cheering me on. He was worse than—. That's when it hit me. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Oh, my God," I muttered. "I have a fan boy."

I didn't know whether to feel proud, or frightened. My gaze traveled from the floor to the wall, where I stared into space. But, that didn't make sense. It did, but it didn't. The first day I'd met the kid, he seemed extremely fond of Sephiroth. Didn't that make him a Sephiroth fan boy? No, that _made_ him a Sephiroth fan boy. Past tense. My lips twisted into a sinister smile.

"Muah hahahaha," I grinned. "Stealing your fan boys, Sephiroth. One at a time."

That amusing realization improved my mood a little bit, and I walked to the debriefing room with a small bounce in my step. It quickly disappeared when I got there. Lazard, Hojo, and President Shin-Ra were all there waiting for me. Lazard was sitting at his desk, cleverly masking his annoyance, while the President paced back and forth obviously not happy with my late arrival. Hojo stood in a corner at the back of the room trying to resemble some demon that had just crawled its way out of Hell. Not what he was going for, but seriously what he looked like.

"Where have you been?" Shin-Ra snapped. "It's been nearly twenty minutes since Lazard called you."

I blinked, unperturbed by his outburst. "Walking. I don't have a means of transportation, other than my feet."

The President frowned and looked at Lazard, "She doesn't have a car?"

"No, I don't," I replied grumpily, "and why are you asking him? He's not the one who decided to shove me and my friend in a house twenty minutes away without taking into consideration we had no way of getting back to the damn Shin-Ra building."

Shin-Ra's head snapped back to face me. He narrowed his eyes at me but said nothing. He'd figured out by then that I was one who didn't much care about his threats. All he ever threatened anybody with was pay and death. I didn't care about the pay, and he wasn't going to kill me and risk losing the only person able to wield his Ancients' suit. He was forced to put up with my bullshit.

Hojo chuckled from his spot in the corner, "It seems your latest SOLDIER _still_ lacks good manners, Lazard. What have you been teaching her?"

Lazard looked over his shoulder, giving the scientist and amused look, "She has perfect manners with me. I wonder what's making her act this way?"

Shin-Ra snorted, "I don't care how she feels." That was obvious. "But, I'm sure her feelings will improve once she hears our proposal. Don't you agree, Director?"

I was surprised to see Lazard look defeated. He folded his arms across his chest, leaned back in his chair, and nodded at the President, telling him to continue. My hand tightened around my staff as my teeth clenched. I was getting ready for battle. I knew that whatever the President had in mind, I wasn't going to like. Especially if Hojo had come up with it. I needed to be ready to stand my ground against the two.

"The Professor and I have grown tired of waiting. You've been given a month already and your performance, though improving, is not where we predicted it to be. I can only guess that's because Lazard simply refuses to put you on any _real_ missions. He's probably too afraid that, without Mako, you would be killed easily. Hojo assures me that's not the case."

Hojo's an idiot, I thought bitterly.

"That being said, I have proposed a special mission. A test, if you will, that will take place in the training room. This way, not only can Hojo and I observe you firsthand, but also Lazard can see just how strong you are in that suit. I have informed him that, should you pass this test, he is to increase your rank to First."

I almost dropped my staff in shock. Almost.

"You can't do that," I said breathlessly.

Shin-Ra frowned, "I can't? I run this company, I can do whatever I please."

"That's not the point!" I shouted. "It's the principle of the thing! You become First by studying and training hard and doing your missions well. I should become First _that _way, not because you want me to be the best there is."

Hojo was grinning, "I see you've taught her a thing or two, after all. As a Turk, she was never this loyal."

"What would you know?" I spat at him. He raised a mocking eyebrow.

"I don't want you to be the best there is, Anubis," Shin-Ra said evenly. "That's Sephiroth's place, and only his. No one can nor will take it from him. However, as you well know, that suit is what I'm interested in and it should get all the chances it can get to be proven useful. As a Third, it doesn't get many. But, as a First, you'll be assigned more missions, thus enabling it to perform to its highest potential. Do you see what I'm getting at?"

"Tch. And what if I don't pass?" I asked. "What then? I remain Third and you mope around all day?"

Shin-Ra smirked, "Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that. Hojo has found another way, besides Mako, to improve you physically. Should you fail, he is allowed to go through with the procedure."

"What's the procedure?" I asked suspiciously.

"That's a surprise," Hojo piped in. "But, I have no doubt that you will pass this test. Would you like to know what you are to do?"

Both Lazard and I stared at Hojo. Lazard's face was cautious, which made me assume he didn't know what the test was either, and probably dreaded to find out. My stare was blank. It didn't matter what the test was, I knew I was probably going to have to pass it regardless and I wished Hojo would just get on with it.

Hojo smiled when I didn't answer. He knew it was all right to keep going.

"I have upgraded another one of my specimens. It's one I'm very proud of and, at first, I was a little sad to see it go. But, then I remembered the training room and simply scanned it and uploaded its information into Virtual Reality."

"The mission, Hojo," I groaned, rubbing my face with my hand. "Just tell me the mission."

Hojo frowned, "You are to defeat the specimen. Simple. But, I must warn you. The specimen was dangerous even before I upgraded it."

That got my attention. Slowly, I looked up at him, "What's the specimen?"

"I won't bother to tell you its number, since that means nothing to you SOLDIERs, but you know it as a Behemoth."

Lazard jumped out of his chair so fast _I_ jumped.

"You can't let her fight that!" He exclaimed angrily. "She's not strong enough. It'll kill her!"

"She is strong enough," Shin-Ra interrupted calmly. "You just refuse to see it. That suit—"

"Does nothing!" Lazard shot back. "It's just there! It grants her no abilities what-so-ever. Everything she does on a mission is solely on her. You're signing her death warrant."

All the yelling had my heart rate up. I'd never seen Lazard lose his cool like that. Not even when he was first told I was to be his newest SOLDIER. I'd never seen a Behemoth, either. Heard about them and read about them, of course, but I'd never seen one. From my understanding, they were simply big creatures that were dangerous. They were supposedly as tough as dragons. Guess that meant they were pretty tough, too.

So, that was it. If I didn't pass the test, I'd most likely die. Lazard was right, the suit didn't give me any abilities. It made me feel a little more fearless than I normally did (who wouldn't when dressed up like a superhero?) And it gave me a little extra defense, but that was nothing when going up against higher-classed monsters. Everything I did in battle was all me. Regardless of what Hojo and the President seemed to think.

I had no way out. President's orders were President's orders. Fighting the Behemoth was unavoidable. The only thing I had control over was the outcome. I either lived i.e. passed the test, or died i.e. failed the test. Whether the monster killed me or not didn't matter. Hojo would finish the job. The scientist still had no idea he was dealing with an alien, and that procedure of his might work on Gaians, but just like with the Mako, it probably wouldn't work on Earthlings. Death, death, or life. Eenie meanie miney mo.

While I was lost in my thoughts, the fighting in the room had only increased in volume.

"Zack was able to exterminate it's predecessor," Hojo was saying. "If that buffoon can do it, I don't see why Anubis can't!"

"Zack is a Second Class and he's well on his way to becoming First!" Lazard shot back.

"I'll do it!" I shouted, louder than all of them. A surprising feat considering how quiet I usually was.

All of them looked at me with surprise. I frowned at that. What did they expect me to do? Run screaming and refuse, even though both Shin-Ra and Hojo knew I had no other choice?

"But, when I do this thing," I added, "and when I pass, you," I pointed at Hojo, "have to leave me the fuck alone. No more check-ups and no more stupid 'procedures,' ya got that?"

Hojo opened his mouth to say something, but Shin-Ra cut him off.

"Very well," he said. Hojo looked like he'd been shot. I couldn't help but smirk.

"But you _must_ pass this test," Shin-Ra continued. "Or else Hojo has free reign over you."

"Oh, I'll pass this test," I replied, ignoring the look of distress Lazard gave me. "You can rest assured of that."

—**FFVII—**

The training room was to remain looking like the training room for the mission. Lazard had finally convinced Shin-Ra that I might not be as strong as he thought I was, and to let me fight somewhere wide and open so I had plenty of room to move out of the way. I almost had second thoughts when he said that, but I couldn't back out. I was there, and I was going to fight whether I wanted to or not. Might as well get it out of the way.

Lazard, Hojo, and Shin-Ra were watching me from a room about the training room. That's where Sephiroth had been my first day of training, before Hojo had taken over for him and tried to ruin Zack's life and mine. No warning was given by any of them before Hojo loaded the Behemoth program—his pride and joy.

It was eerie, watching that monster appear out of nowhere. Immediately, I regretted volunteering.

The Behemoth was a massive creature, tall, and extremely long (though, most of its length came from its tail). The most imposing features were its sharp teeth, claws, and the two dark horns that protruded from its head and neck. It wasn't in existence for a second before it was snarling and biting at the air, tail swishing violently around behind it. I backed away quickly. That tail was as wide as a tree in some places, the last thing I needed was to be hit by it. Yes, I was more afraid of the tail than the teeth. Proof that I wasn't thinking clearly.

"Not backing away from it now, are you, Anubis?" Hojo's voice teased.

I growled but decided not to answer. I didn't want to provoke the monster that stood in front of me. It was a wasted effort. The Behemoth got tired of waiting and bounded towards me, shaking the floor with every step. My eyes widened. Diving to the side I just managed to avoid being trampled. I dodge-rolled when I hit the ground and ran to get some distance between myself and the monster.

When I looked over my shoulder to make sure it wasn't following me, I was surprised to see that it wasn't. I'd expected it to be bounding after me, slobbering as it imagined me as its next snack. But, instead, it was just standing there. Huffing and puffing and swishing its tail around violently. I stopped running and just stood there, watching it. What was the matter with it?

I jump started as the Behemoth did. It turned swiftly towards me and launched itself into the air. I shrieked, realizing it was trying to crush me. I'd only managed to take a couple of steps backwards before it crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom. Its collision caused a small shockwave that sent me on my ass.

Seeing its prey was pinned, it wasted no time and continuing its attack. Raising a clawed paw into the air, it slashed down at me. I rolled to the side, trying my best to ignore the sound of scraping its claws made on the floor, and then slashed back with my staff. The prongs cut deep into its shoulder. It cried out, but instead of backing off, it only pressed its attack.

With a snarl and a snap, it thrust its drooling mouth at me. I grabbed a hold of one of its horns and held on for dear life. As long as I was on that horn, it couldn't get at me. I was a guarenteed safe distance away from its mouth. I probably looked like an idiot in the process, but at least I wouldn't get eaten.

The Behemoth didn't like having a skinny girl in a black suit gripping it like no tomorrow and shook its head furiously. It was extremely strong, and even with my vice grip, I wound up going flying. I screamed as I flew. I couldn't help it. Hitting the ground hard, I quickly rolled back to my feet and, as it was charging at me again, shot at it with a Thundara spell.

The spell hit it right in the face. It roared in pain, shook its furry head, then continued the attack. I shot two more Thundara spells at it, hoping that would stop it. The attacks only managed to slow it down and, once again, I had to run or get trampled.

Nothing I had encountered before (save Hojo's Black Widow) could withstand that many blasts from Thundara. A chilling thought entered my head. What if it had a high defense to lightning-based attacks? I was nothing without my Materia, I had come to terms with that long ago, and if it became useless, I was as good as dead. There was no way I could defeat the Behemoth on my own with a little staff weapon, no matter how pointy it was.

As it charged at me, I remembered what Lazard had said in his office. Zack had fought one of these things before. He'd won. How would Zack do it? I snorted. He'd slash wildly in all the right spots until it fell.

I waited until the last minute to dodge to the side, allowing only a small distance between myself and the monster. Gripping my staff firmly, I slashed at the monster's ribs. The prongs dug themselves in deep and then I ran towards the Behemoth's tail. It bellowed in pain as I cut into it. The prongs were forced out of the monster's flesh at its hip.

It tried to smack me with its tail, but I ducked. Quickly, I looked over my shoulder to see where its other end was. The Behemoth was about to bite me. I jumped back to avoid it, but forgot about its tail, which was still drawn back from its previous swing.

The tail slammed into my chest, knocking the breath out of me and throwing me back many feet, where I landed painfully on my back. Before I could move, the Behemoth was on me again. I barely had time to register my condition before it clawed at me, batting me like a cat does a ball of yarn.

I slid across the floor, then rolled when the friction kicked in. Something was shocking me. I hurt all over, but I still forced myself to look down at my stomach. The Behemoth had actually managed to slash my suit. It hadn't pierced it, but it had done something to the 'wiring' of it. Every once in a while the suit would spark, causing me to get shocked. I had to finish the fight fast so I could power it down, or risk damage to both the suit and myself.

I tried to push myself off the floor, but a bolt of electricity hit me. I screamed before falling back to the floor.

At first, I thought the suit was in worse shape than I thought it was; then my eyes focused on the Behemoth, and the electricity running between its horns. Shit, I swore to myself. The damn creature knew magic! Whether that was Hojo's doing or not, I didn't know, but it caused another problem for me.

I had come to find out, through training, that my suit had a certain immunity to magic spells. Not a complete immunity, but a small one. That's why my low-grade Thunder spells never shocked me. But, with my suit damaged, that little ability seemed to be out of commission.

The Behemoth fired another Thundara spell at me. I weakly raised my staff and countered it with my own. The two spells collided in the air, setting off a small explosion. The light from it twinkled off the green orb in my staff. I snickered. I'd almost forgotten I had Cure. Casting the spell on myself, it quickly revitalized me, and I stood up again to face the monster.

"Alright, asshole," I said weakly, twinging as the suit shocked me again, "bring it on."

The Behemoth charged at me, snorting and slobbering. I had just enough time to see what I had done with my earlier, suicidal move. The monster was pouring blood, but it seemed that the deep gash wasn't slowing it down that much. I grinned ruthlessly.

"Perhaps," I hissed, "you'd like one on the other side to match!"

Sidestepping the creature as it nearly collided with my shoulder, I slammed the staff's prongs into its own shoulder and ran down the length of it again. It howled in pain; however, before I could get halfway down its abdomen, it had spun around to attack me.

I turned quickly and brought my staff up to defend myself. I watched in stunned horror as it speared its top jaw with the diamond. My pity didn't last long. In an act of desperation, the creature reared up and tossed its head back like a bull. My staff made a horrendous sound as it came out of the wound and I went tumbling through the air once again.

Somehow I managed to land on my feet, but not without consequence. The jolt of hitting the ground from such a height jarred my suit causing it to shock me again. The Behemoth, in rage and sensing my distress, attacked before I could even fully stand up. I was slammed up against the wall by its massive skull. My hands tried desperately to keep its snout away from my body as it snapped and snarled, slowly pushing me up the wall as it futilely tried to bite me.

I had never been so terrified before in my life as I stared into its eyes, yellow and glowing. Such primal and enraged eyes. My arms started getting tired and I slipped a little, barely avoiding a furious snap at my legs. The only thoughts going through my head were about death; and, that's when I remembered the Destruct Materia on my left hand. I'd never used it before, but it was as good of a time as any to try.

I focused as hard as I could (given the circumstances) to get the damn rock to release the Death spell, but nothing was happening. Just when I thought it wasn't going to work, the rock began to glow. I gave a nervous laugh as a strange, black cross between a gas and a liquid began to form around the bottom of my palm.

The hair on the back of my neck started to rise, and I knew immediately it wasn't from Death. My eyes widened as I snapped my head to the right. The Behemoth's horns were sparking. It was casting Thundara! I clenched my teeth together and looked down at my left hand. The spell wasn't doing anything, even though it was reaching out in tendrils, trying to grip the Behemoth.

"Die, dammit!" I screeched.

Both spells went off at the same time. The shock from Thundara was worse the second time around. I didn't even feel the ground when I hit it, I just crumpled like a rag doll and stayed there. When my senses came back a few seconds later, I could hear the Behemoth roaring in pain. Weakly, I moved my head so I could see the monster.

It had jumped a good clip away from me and was shaking its head vigorously. Though my Death spell hadn't killed the Behemoth, it _had_ wounded it. The right side of its face seemed scarred and scorched. I couldn't help but grin. I might not have killed it, but part of it at least was dead.

I tried to move but everything wasn't working quite right. Some things wouldn't move at all, while others jumped sporadically. How I managed to crawl over to my staff still escapes me.

"Stop it," I growled as my leg kicked the opposite direction I wanted it to go.

A horrendous shriek pierced my ears. I flinched as the Behemoth roared and snapped at the sky, obviously pissed off at the sound just as much as I was. It was the sound an intercom makes when it hits a solid surface. I figured the guys outside were having another argument. I was only half wrong.

"Anubis," Sephiroth's voice said.

Tch. Figured. He always seemed to show up at the last second. For everything.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

I didn't answer. I knew if I told the truth he'd probably stop the program running the mission and I'd 'fail the test.' I couldn't let him do that. No matter how bad I was getting my ass kicked. But, I had to do something. So, with as much control as I could manage, I gave a thumbs-up sign. It wasn't as convincing with my face smushed uncomfortably against the floor, but it would have to do.

"See?" I heard Hojo purr. "She's perfectly fine. Just feeling the aftershocks of a Thundara spell. She has Cure, you know, I don't see why you're so worried."

I tried to push myself off the floor again, but couldn't. Hojo had mentioned my Restore Materia, but I didn't want to use it. Using it meant I risked running out of magic to cast Thundara. However, after three or four tries of trying to get up off the floor only to fall back down, I decided Cure might be a good idea.

I cast the spell. The effects were instantaneous, but I had taken such a beating that it didn't do much good. I managed to push myself onto my knees, but I was shaking badly. Plus, the suit was still malfunctioning.

"I'm ending—"

"No!" I screamed, cutting Sephiroth off. "I'm fine!"

"You're not," the General said forcefully.

"Shin-Ra," I growled, swaying a little as I got to my feet. "Order him to stand down."

"You heard the woman," Shin-Ra said. I could tell by his voice that he found our quarrel a little amusing.

The Behemoth, for whatever reason, had waited patiently while the humans had their conversation. Once it was over, it figured it was alright to go ahead and finish me off. With a roar it launched itself into the air. I cursed and took off. If I could get enough distance between us the shock wave wouldn't be as bad.

The Behemoth crashed to the ground. I stumbled from the impact, cringing as the suit shocked me, but kept going.

"You're a fool."

"Sephiroth!" Lazard shouted before I heard a door slam.

I skid to a stop and looked towards where I knew was the windows were. Sephiroth had left? No, knowing him, he was going to stop me himself. He'd done it before during training. Always handling the monsters Zack and I couldn't before we even got to them. I turned on the Behemoth, my hand tightening around my staff.

_I won't let you do it_, I thought, _I won't let you take this from me. I've tried too hard and come too far._ With a cry, I summoned all my strength and ran at the Behemoth. The creature was thrown off by my sudden change in behavior. Its state of shock only lasted a moment before it charged, too. I braced myself.

As the creature snapped at me, I jumped. My foot landed on one of its horns, and I pushed myself up into the air again. The Behemoth snarled and tried to look up, but before it could, gravity did its job and the diamond on my staff went plunging into its skull. Just as I had with the Black Widow, I forced Thundara down the end of my staff. What came out was not Thundara, however. It was a spell much stronger and when it struck the Behemoth I was thrown back from the force.

I landed with a thud, followed by an even bigger thud as the Behemoth hit the ground. A small amount of the spell had backfired and shocked me, but I didn't care. I was numb, but I was alive. The Behemoth, not so much.

I had killed it. I'd passed the test. And, I didn't so much care that I was lying on the floor unable to move. I was never going to have to see Hojo's ugly mug in that damn lab ever again. The thought made me grin as I stared up at the ceiling.

As the Behemoth program began to dissolve into pixels, the training room doors swished open. I turned my head to see that Sephiroth had indeed come to stop me. My grin widened upon seeing him. He gave the disappearing Behemoth a passing glance before his eyes focused on me. His expression could only be defined as a pissed-off frown.

I grinned at him the whole time it took him to walk from the doors to where I was lying on the ground. His expression never changed, either.

"You missed it again," I said.

"Missed what?" he snapped. "You nearly killing yourself?"

I just smiled, "My ending move. It's the second time you've missed it."

The doors swished open again and in stepped the President, Hojo, and Lazard. The President was beaming, the complete opposite of Lazard. I twitched as my suit shocked me again. No one seemed to notice my involuntary spasm except Sephiroth.

"Well done, Anubis!" Shin-Ra exclaimed. "To tell you the truth, I was afraid you wouldn't be able to pull it off there at the end, but your anger toward Sephiroth seemed to make you stronger. I am very pleased at the performance of you and your suit. Lazard was a fool not to allow you to be First before now."

I frowned at the President. I didn't like him bad-mouthing my boss. Especially when the man was in the same room. That was beyond rude.

"Not many people can defeat a Behemoth," Hojo mused. "Certainly not those without a trace of Mako in their veins. You certainly are impressive, Anubis."

"No disrespecting, _sirs_," I jumped a little as I was shocked. "But, can we hurry this up? I kin-_da_ feel like shit."

The President frowned, but nodded. "Understandable, you did take a beating after all."

Such a nice way of putting it, I thought bitterly.

"Lazard, as we agreed..." Shin-Ra trailed off.

"Anubis becomes First," Lazard replied gloomily. Sephiroth was all but glaring at me by that point. I knew what he was thinking, he was thinking I had done all of that because _I _wanted to become First, but I wasn't going to waste my breath explaining otherwise. Not right away.

"And you give her more missions," Shin-Ra warned. "I'll be checking the reports to make sure you are. Also, as _I_ agreed, Hojo is to cease all experiments, check-ups, whatever the hell he's calling them, on Anubis. You're lucky I value that suit. Or I wouldn't have agreed to your hair-brained proposal."

Sephiroth's head had snapped back to the President when he explained the _real_ reason I had gone along with their stupid plan. I smiled knowingly. Hojo seemed just as shocked as Sephiroth, even though he knew the outcome before the General had.

"But, Mr. President!" Hojo exclaimed. "My research—"

"Can be done without Anubis walking into your lab every damn week, Professor," Shin-Ra snapped before spinning on his heel and walking away. Hojo turned and glared at me before following after him. He was probably going to go beg some more.

I was left alone in the room with Lazard and Sephiroth. Sephiroth looked down at me.

"I believe I owe you an apology," he said.

"No, ya don't," I replied, powering down my suit. "However," I continued as I put my arms into the air, "I would appreciate it if you healed me."

A fine, silver brow raised at my expense, but he complied. Grabbing a hold of my hand, he lifted me to my feet and healed me simultaneously. I felt much better (Curaga works a lot better than Cure), but I still felt beat. Though curative magic healed cuts and bruises, it didn't work on fatigue. If it did, no one on Gaia would have ever needed sleep.

Lazard sputtered when he turned back around to finally face the General and me.

"S-sa— Anu—" Lazard paused for a moment before picking what name to call me. "_Saan_'s not supposed to be on the SOLDIER floor."

"Well, _sorry_," I replied, stretching, "but the suit was shocking the hell out of me. Thank you for not mentioning that, by the way." I looked at Sephiroth, "If you had, Shin-Ra might have chewed me out for ruining his beautiful machine."

"That's not why I didn't mention it," he replied.

"Oh," I smiled, "I know. But, I'm going to ignore that part and let bygones be bygones."

Lazard looked between me and Sephiroth and back. He seemed confused as to what we were talking about, but then decided he didn't care.

"Follow me to the debriefing room," he said. "We need to discuss a few things. Plus, now that you're a First, I guess that means I'm going to have to change your schedule. That's all I needed. More work."

"You know you love me," I replied, still smiling.

Lazard's eyebrow raised, then he turned and left the room. Sephiroth and I followed. When we arrived back at the debriefing room, I think we were all surprised to see Zack pacing back-and-forth inside. His attention snapped to us as we entered.

"Director Lazard!" He exclaimed, grinning. He then frowned, "And Sephiroth and Saan... Did I miss something?"

Lazard didn't reply as he made his way to his chair. Sephiroth, however, decided to fill in the teen as he passed him, walking to his favourite spot against the wall.

"Anubis became First," The General said, a small smirk on his lips.

"What?" Zack exclaimed, spinning around to see me. "How? What did you do?"

"She defeated a Behemoth," Lazard replied nonchalantly.

"What? Oh, come on! I defeated one, too, and you didn't promote me! Something else is going on," Zack mumbled. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Lazard, "Is it because she's a girl?"

Both Lazard and Sephiroth were smirking at that point. I made the tongue noise I always did when I was irritated. Poor Zack still didn't know I didn't have an ounce of Mako inside me, and defeating a Behemoth was no big feat to him.

I had about grown tired of everyone putting me in the same boat as them. At first, all I wanted was to fit in so that no one would consider me a fraud. But then, I came to realize that by being able to do what the others could do (even if it took a lot more out of me) made me better than the Average Joe. Being the kind of person I was, it was all I could do to keep from running around the Shin-Ra building exclaiming just how bad ass I thought I was. So, when Zack said what he did, I asked Lazard my next question not because I thought Zack's sexist comment was...well, sexist. But because I wanted to show off.

"Can I tell him?" I asked Lazard. "You know, about what makes me different from him? Other than the fact he stands up whereas I sit down to pee."

Lazard seemed to be thinking it over before he finally waved his hand, giving me permission. I turned to Zack, who was staring at me with a look of confusion. I placed both hands on his shoulders.

"I don't have Mako in me," I said seriously. My serious face quickly vanished as Zack continued to stare at me with that confused look of his.

"Huh?" He asked finally, tilting his head to the side just a little.

I let my arms fall to my sides, "You heard me. I don't have Mako in me. That little procedure every SOLDIER gets? I didn't get it. I'm allergic to the stuff. Way allergic. You never noticed my eyes didn't glow?"

"No," Zack admitted, "but then again, you're always wearing a helmet."

"True," I nodded. Zack looked at Lazard.

"How could you let her join SOLDIER if she couldn't pass the Mako treatment tests?"

"That's marked as classified," Lazard replied. "But, before you start jumping to conclusions, Zack, I had no other choice. Just like I had no other choice but to allow her to become First if she defeated that Behemoth Sephiroth mentioned."

"I'm not going to even pretend to know what's going on," Zack mumbled. He gave me a sideways glance, "So. All those times during training when I thought you were being clumsy?"

"Was me actually trying to overcompensate for my lack of green, glowy liquid," I finished.

"Since Anubis is now First," Sephiroth spoke up, "she'll be accompanying us on more dangerous missions. Regardless of how she hates to admit it, she's not as strong as we are."

"Yeah, yeah," Zack interrupted. "Watch her and make sure she doesn't kill herself. Is that what you were gonna say?" He asked, tilting his head at Sephiroth.

"I like how you act like I'm not here," I mumbled.

"Oh, I know you're there," Sephiroth replied.

Lazard cleared his throat and the three children that had been bickering with each other finally paid him some attention. He steepled his fingers as he leaned forward onto his desk. He usually did that when he was about to get down to business. I settled in for the long haul.

"There's another issue of her becoming First that you two seem to be ignoring," Lazard began. Sephiroth and Zack shifted uncomfortably as the Director continued, "This isn't going to fly under Genesis' radar."

I frowned, "That guy who pulled a disappearing act?"

"Yes, _that _guy," Lazard replied. "He hasn't been cooperating with us very well. He seems to think that Shin-Ra is corrupt and is trying to get as many people as he can to join him. We've lost countless SOLDIERs to him already, as you probably well know. We've confronted him before but, well, it didn't go so well."

"How so?" I asked. Said Genesis character sounded more and more intriguing the longer Lazard talked.

"Sephiroth was assigned to confront him, originally, but he refused and the order was passed down to Zack. Genesis hadn't been expecting it and reacted not-so-kindly. He summoned Bahamut. Where he got that Materia from, I don't know. Luckily," Lazard replied, "Zack was able to defeat it and confiscate the Materia."

"What's a Bahamut and how do you summon it?" I asked. Lazard frowned at me.

"We hadn't got to that part yet," Sephiroth explained to the confused Director. He looked at me and added, "Certain Materia allows you to call forth monsters to fight for you. We call that Summon Materia. Bahamut is a dragon that uses non-elemental attacks to damage foes, along with its sharp claws."

I looked at Zack, sincerely impressed, "So, Genesis was like, 'Summon', and it was like, 'Rawr!' and you were like, 'Aaah! _Whack!_', and it was like, 'Dies', and you were like, 'Yay!'?"

"Actually..." Zack replied, "It was more of: Genesis was like, 'Summon', it was like, 'Rawr!', I was like, 'Grrr', it was like, 'Dies', and then I was like, 'Oh, shit, better run before I get blown up.'"

I frowned at Zack as Sephiroth and Lazard looked at us like we had grown two heads, or merged into one being. Neither of them had any idea that this was one of the many ways Zack and I communicated to one another.

"Why did you nearly get blown up?"

"Shin-Ra ordered a missile drop on the town," Zack replied.

I gave a long blink before slowly turning my head to Lazard. He knew what I was thinking.

"There was no one there," Lazard said. "Genesis saw to that before we even arrived."

"Did they know that before they ordered the drop?" I snapped. I didn't see as how Genesis was too far off about the damn company.

"Yes," Lazard replied calmly. He was used to my outbursts about injustice. "Tseng was sent in to check things out while Genesis was preoccupied with Zack."

That name brought back memories. I could only imagine what it was like having a team composed of level-headed Tseng and the bumbling energy known as Zack. Too bad I'd missed it.

"_An-y-ways_," I stressed, "what were you saying about Genesis and how he affects me?"

"You're going to become a target," Sephiroth replied. He was so quiet at times, I often forgot he was there. He continued, "Genesis likes targeting Zack and me, and I don't put it past him to go after you now that you're one of us."

"D'aw," I said, "I'm one of you. How cute."

"This is serious," Lazard said firmly. "Genesis, unlike you, is a _real_ First Class SOLDIER. His strength is almost equal to Sephiroth's, and with who-knows-what Materia in his arsonal, he is not someone to be trifled with. If you run into him, you are not to attack. You are to contact me or Sephiroth and get out of there. Do I make myself clear?"

"What about me?" Zack asked, slightly offended that he had been left out.

"You take care of Angeal," Lazard replied.

Zack nodded. The boys seemed to have a plan going to counter that Genesis man, but they were ignoring one key point. One that I needed to know in order to avoid the guy at all costs. Without it, I couldn't do that efficiently.

"Ya'll know," I began, "that I have absolutely _no idea_ what this guy looks like. Right?"

All three looked at me strangely. Then I remembered that on Gaia, Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal were well known. 'Cept to me and Ronnie who were, in fact, from Earth. Oops. Somehow I managed to maintain my innocent expression.

Zack took it upon himself to fill me in, "Wears a lot of red. Has red hair. Has a red sword."

He really likes red, I thought.

"Has a black wing."

"Wait, what?" I asked. I wasn't quite sure I'd heard that right.

"He has a black wing," Zack repeated. "Comes out of his left shoulder."

I nodded slowly, my mouth slightly open and eyebrows drawn together as I tried to _believe_ the words that had came out of the kid's mouth. My first thought (embarrassingly) was, That's hot. The second thought was:

"How?"

"That," Lazard interrupted, "we don't really know for sure. Genesis isn't giving us too many details on our little run-ins. But, I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later."

"Uh-huh," I said. "Well, a guy with a fetish for red and a black wing should be pretty recognizable. And avoidable. Anything else for today?"

"No," Lazard replied. "I'll contact you later with details on your next mission. Now, Zack, what did you want to see me about?"

I left the room quite hurriedly. A lot of questions were running through my mind and I couldn't ask Sephiroth or Zack about them. I needed someone who wasn't in on anything SOLDIER was up to. I needed Ronnie. I hoped he was still at the house and hadn't been called in to do Turk business.

Before I'd made it halfway down the hall, I heard someone's footsteps behind me. I turned to see Sephiroth following me. I stopped and waited for him to catch up. Chances were he was going to bring up what had happened in the training room. Despite his outward appearance, he was an extremely curious guy. One that had a habit of not letting things go. He wasted no time in getting to the point.

"What you did back there was foolish. Bordering on idiotic. Regardless of your reasons," he said. "I wonder. What else would you have done to get away from Hojo?"

Not an ounce of maliciousness was in his words. He was being sincere. Sephiroth seriously was worried that I'd do something completely stupid one those days to get out of doing something, or get away from somebody. I couldn't say that I wouldn't.

"I wonder what you think I would do," I replied smirking. "Short of killing someone, I might have just went along with anything. _Might_ being the key word there. Believe me, Sephiroth, there are some things even _I_ won't stoop to."

"You really hate that man, don't you?" He asked.

I chuckled, "I'm the only one? There's something about him I don't like. Regardless of the fact he forcefully tried to inject me with Mako and nearly killed me in the process." I paused for a moment to think before continuing, "Ok, so maybe it wouldn't have killed me, but it still hurt like hell. The point is, there's something shady about a guy like that. You never know what his type will do. A man like that I don't want to be around."

Sephiroth 'hmph'ed. A little smile was on his face.

"Alright, I'll give you that one. But, tell me something. Why did you _really_ join SOLDIER, and why were you so keen on becoming First?"

"Not too satisfied with the 'I just wanted to' answer, are ya?" I asked cocking my head to the side. I smiled, "I just wanted to be one of the boys. Figuratively speaking, of course. Ya'll seemed to have a lot of fun going around and exterminating monsters. I wanted to have a little fun, too. Being a Turk was pretty damned boring. Plus, I sucked at it."

"I'm surprised," Sephiroth replied. "Most people join SOLDIER to become heroes."

I chuckled, "No, _Sephiroth_, most people join SOLDIER to become _you_, and you know it. It actually grates on my nerves a little bit. _That's_ the reason I wanted to become First. So I could rub it in your face."

I smiled mischievously when Sephiroth frowned at me. I'd thrown him off with that little comment of mine, but it was the truth. That and I wanted to go around saying I finally got _first_ in something.

"Don't get me wrong, Sephiroth, I have nothing against you. I just get a little frustrated from time to time when the first thing out of everybody's mouth is 'Sephiroth.' Honestly, I don't see how you put up with it. But, then again, the limelight was never something I wanted nor understood."

"You're contradicting yourself again."

When I cast him a confused look, he continued, "You say you want to be First, yet you don't like the popularity that it brings. You want people to recognize you but, then again, you don't. You've never made much sense in all the time I've known you."

"_Yeah..._" I replied. "I tend to do that a lot. Not make sense. Well, it's been nice talking with you, but I really must be going. I have a few things to discuss with Ronnie before they leak out of my skull."

I turned and walked away. That was the first time Sephiroth and I had had a _meaningful_ conversation with each other. If one could call it a conversation since I did most of the talking. But, Sephiroth rarely talked anyway. He let his few and far between emotions speak for themselves most of the time.

—**FFVII—**

Ronnie lay patiently on the couch, fooling with his cell phone, when I arrived home. I told him about my promotion. He seemed a lot happier about it than I was. Ronnie always was more enthusiastic about things than me. It was just in his nature. After I'd finished explaining my situation, I moved on to Genesis.

"He's apparently going around beating up on Shin-Ra. They told me to avoid him. I don't see why I'd have to worry about that. If you're attacking a place, the least likely position you're going to take up residence is going to be in that place's backyard."

Ronnie was silent before replying, "Didn't we do that?"

"...We got caught. And kinda had no choice. Genesis isn't in the same boat as we were," I said as I plopped down in the chair.

The living room got boring with only a couch so, I broke down and bought a chair. I knew my life had hit a low point when I got excited at the prospect of owning new furniture.

"Isn't he in the same boat as _you_, though? You're both SOLDIERs and you both hate Shin-Ra; yet, you both use it to your advantage. It's kinda counterproductive if you think about it."

"How's it counterproductive?" I asked, frowning in confusion.

"He's in SOLDIER and, yet, he's attacking SOLDIERs..."

"He _was_ in SOLDIER," I corrected. "I have a funny feeling when he left without warning he was handing in his letter of resignation."

"Oooh. Well, in that case, he now knows something ordinary SOLDIERs don't," Ronnie replied as he closed his cell phone, putting it in his front pocket.

I blinked. A lot of things ran through my mind after he said that. Genesis deserted SOLDIER without a word to anybody, just randomly up and disappeared one day, leaving the company in the confused mess it was. Why had he done it? At first, the question had no answer. But Ronnie had brought up something I hadn't really thought about beforehand. Maybe there was something more to Shin-Ra than just being corrupt and immoral. Maybe they were doing something horribly profane behind closed doors that even the most loyal of employees weren't told about. It was an interesting theory. I turned to face him slowly.

"You know," I said. "You just might be right about something."

"Either that or they cut his pay," Ronnie added.

"Whatever intelligence I thought you had just a moment ago is long gone," I mumbled, narrowing my eyes at him before looking out the window.

My eyes fell to a figure moving across the road. They widened when I recognized who it was. Giving a distressed cry, I hopped off the chair and dove to the door, locking it. No way was he getting in my house! Ronnie was looking at me like I'd lost my mind.

"What?" He asked.

"He's not getting in," I hissed.

"Who?"

A knock sounded from the door. I braced myself up against it, even though it was locked. Ronnie frowned at me as another knock came from the door. He went around to the window and looked out it, trying to see who was knocking. An eyebrow went up as he looked back at me.

"You're scared of a kid?" He asked teasingly.

"Fan boy," I hissed back.

"Ooooh," Ronnie nodded understandingly. Then he grinned and walked to the door, "Better not keep him waiting then."

"NO!" I shouted, grabbing at him as he reached for the lock.

We fought for control over the door. Ronnie would reach for the lock, I'd grab at his hands, he'd try to push me away, I'd push back. Eventually, we were so tangled up, I was confusing my arms for his.

Then he licked my arm. It was nothing new, he'd done it plenty of times before, and every time he did it warranted the same reaction.

"Augh!" I cried, quickly releasing him.

Realizing my mistake, I dived for Ronnie again, but it was too late, and the door was already opening. I slammed my hand against Ronnie, shoving him out of the way, and grinned at the kid standing in my doorway.

"Hi, Jerry!" I breathed, grinning from ear to ear. "What are you doing here?"

He frowned, like he usually did, and held my staff out to me, "You forgot this again."

I stared at it like it was the plague. Never in my life had something so trivial as a stupid piece of metal caused me such distress. And all within the same day! I remembered a quote I'd heard a long time ago. "The goal of all inanimate objects is to resist man and ultimately defeat him." Truer words had never been spoken.

I narrowed my eyes at the boy. Snatching the staff from him quickly, I bopped him over the head with it. It bounced off his helmet harmlessly.

"Ow!" Jerry cried, putting his hands over his head to prevent further onslaught.

"Stop stalking me!"

"I wasn't—"

"You were!" I shouted. "How else would you know _exactly_ where I lived?"

"I...watched you?" He half-asked. I twitched.

"That's the same as stalking!" I exclaimed. A thought occurred to me and I asked, "Where do you live?"

"In Sector 8," he replied innocently.

"Oh, thank goodness, that's two Sectors away," I stopped and frowned at the boy, "Stop following me. Do not come here again without my permission. If I leave my staff again, you carry it home with you and wait till morning, understood?"

"Why are you so mean?" Ronnie asked suddenly from where he stood behind the door.

The question threw me off-guard as I turned to look at him. It was only then I realized that what I was saying was probably deeply injuring Jerry in some way. I had a bad habit of only caring about my feelings and completely ignoring everybody else's. When I looked back at the kid his body language was definitely that of 'kicked puppy'. I let my arms drop to my sides, my shoulders sag, and took in a deep breath. I let it out slowly.

"Okay, stop. Rewind. Play," I said. "Look. It's not that I don't appreciate what you're doing. Not the stalking part, but the watching out for me part. At least someone is because, apparently, I'm in too big of a rush to do it myself—"

"You're welcome," Jerry deadpanned.

"Please don't interrupt me when I'm on a roll. Anyways, no matter how wonderful it is for you to help me, the fact of the matter is: No one's supposed to know who I am. You and a handful of people are the only ones that know Saan is Anubis. And now, _you_ are the only one who knows where she lives. That information can't be leaked out. If it is, you _really_ don't want to know what Shin-Ra will do to you. Do you see where I'm coming from?"

Jerry frowned then sighed, "Fine. You win. I guess I never thought of it that way. I just thought you were annoyed by me."

That's because I am, I thought, but kept that info to myself.

Then Jerry smiled, "But I'm still stalking you in the hallways."

"Fine," I mumbled, "you go do that. Have fun. I look forward to dodging you. Until then, buh-bye."

I closed the door and locked it. Ronnie was smiling at me. I narrowed my eyes at him. Before he could say anything, however, Jerry spoke up from the other side of the door.

"You forgot your Materia!" He shouted.

I looked down at my staff. All three orbs were in their rightful places. I turned around and talked to the door.

"Keep it. I don't need it."

"You sure?"

"_Yes_, Jerry. Now, if you don't get away from my house within the next thirty seconds, I'm going to blow you to smithereens. Ya got that?"

There was no answer, but I didn't hear any footsteps leading away from the door, either. With a huff, I walked over to the living room window and stared at Jerry who, as expected, was still standing on my door step. He sensed someone looking at him and turned towards the window. I brought up my staff, narrowed my eyes at him, and let a small amount of Thunder magic dance around the prongs of it. Jerry turned on his heel immediately and took off running down the street.

I stood back up and turned to see the same stupid smile on Ronnie's face.

"Congratulations," he said. "You've learned how to be civil _and_ turn down fan boys without crushing their dreams."

"Uh-huh," I replied. "Makes me wonder how the hell Sephiroth puts up with his. By the way, why did Jerry say I'd left my Materia when it's obvious all of them are in place?"

Ronnie looked down at my staff, cocked his head to the side, then looked back up at me, "You probably mastered it."

"Huh?" I asked.

"It's gained all the experience it can get and, by doing so, has reproduced a second Thunder Materia."

"... Materia is capable of asexual reproduction?" I asked, slightly amused by Ronnie's wording.

He laughed, "_Maybe_. I don't know how it works either. But, you can now cast Thundaga. That's the highest level Thunder spell. I'd watch out when using it, though. It's extremely powerful and uses up a lot of your magic."

"How do you know all this stuff?"

"I spend a lot of time around the science labs, remember?" He asked, smiling mischievously before sitting down to watch some more TV.

"Ah, yes," I replied. "Ronnie. The waste-paper basket diving hobo."

"Hey," Ronnie said, holding up a finger. "I am a waste-paper basket diving hobo _in a suit_."

**A/N: Definite articles are your friends. And 'a' and 'i', though vowels, can not be used interchangeably.**

**Around the part where Hojo goes, 'Not backing away now, are ya?' **_**The Impression That I Get**_** started playing and I thought that was funny. The phrase 'taller than Sephiroth'**** (**_**Edit: Which I took out, lawl.)**_** I used because I don't remember how tall Behemoth's were EXACTLY. I just remember it was taller than me and I was screaming in terror. Like with the Tonberries! I had no idea what those little fuckers were, so when I encountered them in the Crater I went, "Oh, look at the cute little penguins!" And then it waddled towards Tifa and I was like, "Aaaaw" while I whacked at it. And then it stabbed Tifa and it was like DEATH! ...and I screamed. And it waddled over to Cloud as I continued to whack it, and stabbed Cloud, who died, too. And I screamed some more and hit the L1 and R1 buttons going, "RUN, VINCENT, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! OH MY GOD. IT'S COMING. AAAAAH!"**

**Also, I'm in love with Genesis' wing. What can I say? The only reason I wanted Advent Children Complete was so I could bounce up and down when Sephy released his wing and go, "WIIIIIIING! -squeal-" And then he made it switch sides somehow and I was like, "NO WAY IN HELL! Anatomy laws state that you **_**so**_** just broke I don't how many or what kind of bones just then by doing that! Rawr. -crosses arms defiantly-" This coming from the same girl that brought up this conversation during the original:**

**Saan: How can his motorcycle go forward and backwards without shifting gears?**

**Amanda (friend you don't know): Maybe it was in neutral!**

**Saan: -stares at Amanda- Then how did it start moving in the first place?**

**Ronnie: Just shut up and watch the movie!**

**No, we had no idea the basic workings of a motorcycle. I am plagued by a life where physics apply.**

**I'll shut up now. Next chapter there's a strong possibility of Genesis being in there. Very, very strong.**

_**Edit: I am so fucking tired it's not even funny. Ugh. Going to bed now. By the way, someone said that the wing didn't change sides…I still think it does. I'm too tired to care.**_


	16. Friendship

**A/N: -Snort, giggle, full-blown laughter, coughs- Okay, I'm good. Guess what guys, I'M NOT DEAD! –bangs elbow on headboard trying to sit up- OW! It's been ten months since I last updated and there's an explanation for that. It's called life. A big chunk of my life was devoted to college (of which I have over 30 hours, apparently, wow). The rest of it was devoted to reading manga, watching anime, crashing my car into the side of an embankment, playing video games, playing Tennis, and a lot of other things I might remember by the next Author's Note.**

**Don't worry, both the car and I were completely fine…even though the car was on its side at an 80-sumthin' degree angle, I still managed to crawl out of the driver's-side door's window, call Nana, get my neighbor to pick her up and drive her the .8 miles I was from my house, and call 911 so the cops would pull my beat up Cavalier off the side of the hill. I wasn't even going thirty miles an hour, and I only broke the plastic fender and radiator… I have some mad crashin' skills.**

**Anyways, YOU GUYS BETTER LOVE ME! Seriously, I just spent half the day writing down word for word, action for action what happens in this chapter to make it HELLA ACCURATE to the game. Because this part in the game was so beautifully done, why mutilate it (too much since, you know, Saan's there…yeah)? I was surprised to find out I wasn't as far along in the story as I thought I was and, holy hell, do I have my work cut out for me. But, enough with my ramblings, ON WITH THE SHOW!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy. I only own Saan, Ronnie (-snort-), Jerry, and the spiffy new Acer laptop with 16:9 size screen and Windows 7 that I am currently typing on. MUAH HAHAHAHA. Seriously, buy Windows 7, it kicks ass.**

_**Edited on 19 October 2010 for errors and goofs. –snort- You think I'll get Windows 7 related stuff for shameless product placement? I can only dream. Oh, and from here on out I just kept transcribing the in-game chapters. I had no life then, and I still don't have one now.**_

It would figure that nothing ever goes according to plan. That's how life works, after all. You get your hopes up for nothing, and then it all comes crashing down and as you're falling, Life is there beside you laughing in your face going, "Haha, _suckeeeer._" That is what I thought as I glared at my reflection in the mirror.

After becoming First, Lazard had changed my schedule and, taking pity on me, he'd decided it would be best if I took a few days off before jumping back in the fray. Not that I had ever been in any 'fray' but who needs technicalities? That day was the first day I tried my suit on again after it had been sliced by the Behemoth.

There it was, my imposing self staring right back at me as I glared at the lack of claw marks on my suit.

"Ok, what the fuck?" I asked myself. "What does this stupid thing have, some weird funky healing powers or something? Since it's made up of little nanomachines, can it heal itself by simply replicating the ones it's lost and act like it's 'all good'? This fucking world makes no sense!"

"It must make perfect sense if you think about it that way."

"D'ah-ha!" I squeaked, falling to the floor like a crumpling rag doll and gripping the counter as if my life depended on it.

"Why are you in the bathroom, you ass?" I screamed at Ronnie, the source of the voice and who was currently standing in the doorway. Damn my peripheral vision for not seeing the door open.

"You know, I live here, too…" He replied, frowning. "And I wanted to take a shower. Have you had your morning coffee? Or are you on your period?"

I growled at him, but forced myself to stand up. I stomped the three steps it took to get over to him and glared.

"No," I growled, "to both of your questions."

"You know that mask prevents me from seeing the glare I know you have—"

"Ronnie, I'm not currently clothed under this suit of armor, would you kindly leave so I can get on that?" I interrupted calmly, albeit coldly.

The expression on Ronnie's face was priceless—a mixture of fear and disgust. It didn't take him long to backpedal out of the room and slam the door. As I locked the door and powered down the suit, I could hear him griping about how I should always lock my doors, and what would have happened if I was in the shower when he walked in, instead of admiring myself in the mirror. I rolled my eyes as I grabbed a hold of my underwear. If I was in the shower, he would have heard the water running and wouldn't have entered. Honestly, sometimes his arguments held no merit whatsoever.

After having dressed myself in my army attire—camo short-sleeved shirt and khaki pants—I exited the bathroom only to find Ronnie squatting beside the door with a pout on his face and still a little red from embarrassment. It was then that I noticed his lack of spare clothes.

"Where are your clothes?"

"In my room," Ronnie replied, pushing himself off the wall.

"…so it's not okay for me to not lock the bathroom door, but it's okay for you to go streaking through the house butt-naked to get to your clothes," I asked.

"Yes," Ronnie grinned, "because I know there's no way you'd be stalking outside the bathroom."

My mouth parted a little as I narrowed one eye and cocked my head to the side in disbelief. Shaking my head, I allowed my face to go back to normal and started descending the stairs to where my boots resided at the front door.

"_Okay_, then."

I was surrounded by strange people; I always had been. On Earth, almost all my friends were lefties, a few were homosexual, and none liked acting their age willingly; I was right-handed, straight as an arrow, and always acted older than I was. Though I considered myself the only normal one of my group, given those odds, I suppose I was the oddball. Yet, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

On Gaia, all my friends were pawns of the government, not many of them liked their jobs, few did their jobs well, and the one that did had a crazy dream of becoming a hero at an age younger than me. I scoffed as I sat down in the floor to put on my boots. Funny, even though they weren't the same as my friends were back on Earth, they still seemed like it—because, just like with my Earthling friends, I wouldn't have traded my Gaian ones for any world.

I pushed myself off the floor and walked into the kitchen to fix myself a cup of coffee.

"I'm getting sentimental in my old age," I grumbled, grabbing _my_ glass coffee cup from the drainer and pouring the liquid into it. "And I have a funny feeling it's only going to get worse."

"You like talking to yourself, don't you."

"GAH!" I shrieked, jerking my arm that held the coffee pot and accidently spilling it on the counter top before slamming it down and spinning around to glare at the intruder.

"Whatareyoudoinghere?" I hissed at the Shin-Ra Grunt's helmet…only to realize it wasn't a Grunt's helmet and was, in fact, a First's. "Whendidyougetpromoted?"

"This morning," the kid grinned from ear to ear. "I came to show you so you wouldn't get confused—" He stopped suddenly when I picked up a knife out of the dish drainer. "What are you doing with that?"

"Hold still, I'm going to mark you so I can tell you apart from the others," I replied, completely serious.

Jerry yelped and, with surprising speed, managed to dodge my knife-swing. I cursed as he ran into the living room, hopped over the couch, and put his hands up in a gesture of peace.

"Are you insane?" He screamed, sounding oddly like my friend Lance used to when _he_ was terrified.

"You tell me, Stalker," I replied, slowly approaching him, knife still in hand.

"I am not!" He shouted in his defense.

"Really? The only one able to interpret my extremely fast talking is Ronnie, and that's only because he's known me for years. The only way you could have understood that was if you observed me daily, which means you're stalking me…_still_. And didn't I tell you _not_ to come to my house?"

Jerry frowned, folding his arms defiantly, "I wasn't carrying your staff with me this time, there's no way people could figure out Anubis lives here. Not that they'd know who Anubis is anyway, you're so far under the radar…"

I paused, a little dejected, and absentmindedly banged the side of the knife against my lips, "Wow. I don't know whether or not to happy or sad about that. Hn…"

I remembered my coffee on the counter, shrugged, and walked back into the kitchen. Placing the knife back in the drainer, I grabbed my coffee and took a sip, only to stick my tongue out, give it a look, and only then remember I had forgotten to add sugar.

"I thought you were going to 'mark' me," Jerry said, still lingering in the living room as I put three spoonfuls of sugar in my cup.

"Lost interest. I'll find time later or something. Right now," I turned around and motioned to my glass, "coffee's the only thing I'm interested in at the moment."

As I took a drink Jerry added, "That stuff stunts your growth, you know."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "I've heard that shit all my life, and yet I'm still average height. Unless it's stunting the growth of my breasts…"

I paused and waited for Jerry to comment about that, but he very cleverly kept his mouth shut. I smirked, _Good boy_.

"You know, it's very inconvenient that your helmet doesn't have any lights on it anymore. Why'd you have to go and get promoted for anyway?"

"You got promoted."

"Yes, but my outfit didn't change."

"Why do you care if my helmet changes or not? You should be able to tell who I am with or without the helmet."

"You weren't able to tell it was me when I was wearing _my_ helmet," I almost snapped. Jerry sputtered as I continued, "And you have no excuse for that since my hair's a dead giveaway."

I stalked over to him, "Speaking of which, what are you hiding under there?"

Jerry squeaked as I grabbed a hold of his helmet with my free hand and tried to yank it off. His hands were faster, however, and, if it was even possible, he shoved his helmet down further onto his head. After a few seconds of tug-o-war, with Jerry winning, I gave up and dropped my hand with a huff.

"Fine, be that way," I frowned. "Chicken."

"What are you doing?" Ronnie asked from the bottom of the stairs.

I made the mistake of turning to look, and quickly regretted it. It was my turn to squeak as I quickly looked away, holding my free hand over my eyes.

"Why?" I shouted.

"What?" Ronnie asked. "I'm in a towel…"

"That's not the point! I don't wanna see that!"

"See what? You can't see anything. It's not _that_ long."

"_Lalalalala_," I sang loudly as I fumbled my way back into the kitchen to get to the sink to wash out my cup—having drunk all of it while fighting with Jerry.

"I didn't know you were bashful," Jerry commented, and I could hear the smirk, "with the way you talk, no one could have guessed."

I turned around, narrowing my eyes at him, "I'm not bashful, I'm _modest_; however, _that_—"I pointed at Ronnie, "—is far from it. And _you_ better not be like him because I don't need two perverts running around me."

It wasn't a second after the words left my mouth that I pictured Jerry in a towel with his helmet on. Luckily, I managed to catch myself at the snorting phase of my laugh. Recomposing myself and drowning that mental image in the gutter where it belonged, I walked back into the living room and picked up the box carrying my staff inside it. I figured putting it in a box was the best way to conceal it, since wrapping it in paper still left the form of it visible and anyone with half a brain could have figured out what it was.

"Anyways, come on, Jerry, we're leaving," I said, placing the box on my shoulder.

He turned to me suspiciously, "Where are we going?"

I frowned at him, "Out of my house. I'm going to work and the last thing I need is you here alone with Ronnie. Lord knows what he'd tell you about me, and I don't like my stalkers getting to know me too personally."

"Like that one time, with _Hamlet_?" Ronnie suggested with a sly grin. I twitched.

"Ham…let?" Jerry asked. "Ham let what? What about a ham?"

Before he could continue his pointless questioning, I spun around, smacking Jerry in the back of the head with the staff-box. He grunted and face-planted the couch.

"Ow," came his muffled voice.

"Enough about that! Up you go," I exclaimed, grabbing Jerry's belt and yanking him up with all my might, almost causing me to stumble backwards over the coffee table, "I've got a job to do and I'm sure you do to."

Jerry turned around, frowning at me as he rubbed his face, "I'm off today."

"And I'm not," I replied through clenched teeth. "Now go!"

—**FFVII—**

I'd made sure that Jerry was indeed going somewhere else other than back to my place before journeying in the direction of the Shin-Ra building. You'd think that a woman wearing camo-and-khaki and carrying a big, long box on her shoulder would deter anyone from coming towards her, but no, 'twas not the case. The number of men who approached me asking if I 'needed help with that' was staggering and no amount of glares would suppress their numbers since the next guy to come hadn't seen me glare at the previous guy, etc., etc., rinse and repeat.

By the time I made it to the Shin-Ra building, I was sure my hair was as frazzled as I felt, and no amount of glaring from Ledi, that annoying ass secretary, could faze me. Picking up my staff-box I walked towards the elevators—only to have to stop as my phone rang. Sighing, I dropped the box with a dull thud, gaining a few stares from those around me, and reached into my pocket to pull out my phone. I flipped it open and put it to my ear.

"Where are you?" Lazard's voice asked from the other end of the line. _I should pay attention to the caller I.D. sometimes_, I thought.

"On the first floor, why?" I asked.

"Oh, good," Lazard replied. "A new assignment has been issued. Sephiroth's already here and Zack's on his way from the SOLDIER floor. I need you here as soon as possible."

I blinked, "Since you've already made me a schedule, I'm assuming this is something important that's come up last minute that needs to be dealt with immediately, so sayeth the higher-uppers."

"Yes," Lazard replied, not even bothering to mention I was talking weird again, "now make it fast?"

I sighed, "Coming."

Flipping the phone shut, I shoved it in my pocket, hefted my staff-box back onto my shoulder and trudged my way to the elevator, ignoring the stares and offers I received from everyone.

It didn't take me long to reach Lazard's office. Zack still hadn't arrived yet, so the only ones waiting for me were Lazard and Sephiroth. Both of which were frowning at me as I sat my box down. I looked at both of them.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"Saan," Lazard said.

"Yes?"

Both he and Sephiroth were silent for a moment before Lazard explained to me what I was missing, or trying to.

"Saan, look at what you're wearing."

I blinked blankly.

"Or lack there-of," Sephiroth added helpfully.

I looked down, stared for a second, and then finally got it. "OH!" I exclaimed, powering up my suit, "My bad."

Lazard clasped his hands together and bowed his head in exasperation. Sephiroth…Well, I just _knew_ he was smirking behind those bangs of his. I figured that's why he always kept his head bowed—so you could never see him silently laughing at you.

"What?" I glared at him, though I was asking Lazard, "No one was on the elevator nor on this floor to see me without the suit, so it's all good."

"What if someone had seen you?" Lazard asked, glancing at me over his fingers and glasses.

"Then they would have figured I was delivering you a box of something," I replied, quite confident in myself.

"Without a uniform or I.D.?" Sephiroth chipped in, obviously making fun of me.

I sputtered and pouted and made all kinds of faces before finally giving up on my argument. I'd made a mistake; I understood that, they didn't have to rub it in so much. Luckily, I was saved from my embarrassment by the arrival of Zack. As Zack approached, the atmosphere in the room immediately became serious. The transition was so quick, it was scary. Lazard wasted no time in getting down to business.

"The company has decided to eliminate Genesis and his cohorts," he announced as he stood up. "This includes Angeal as well."

I frowned. _What?_ That didn't make any sense. Genesis and Angeal, though they'd left SOLDIER, were still Firsts. Why would Shin-Ra decided to 'eliminate' them if they had so much potential? I casted a sideways glance at Zack and immediately regretted doing so. The expression on his face was so wounded. I'd never seen _anyone_ look like that before, let alone someone like _Zack_.

"And you want me to do it?" He asked.

"No," Lazard replied, a little too forceful, as he turned away, "the Shin-Ra Army will handle it."

"What about me?" Zack asked.

Yes, what about us? If the Army had been called to take them out, why were we there? Though, I knew that's not what Zack was asking. His question was a little more personal. I didn't know how personal, since I'd only ever met Angeal once, but I figured it best to remain quiet all the same.

"They don't trust you."

"Blunt much?" I whispered low enough that they couldn't hear me.

Zack frowned, leaning his hands on Lazard's desk in exasperation. Sephiroth moved from his favorite spot against the left desk, passing behind Zack and in front of me as he did so.

"They believe your emotions will hamper your judgment."

"_Nah, dur_,_"_ I thought bitterly. I made sure not to say that one out loud since I _knew_ Sephiroth would have heard me with my luck as bad as it was.

"Well of course!" Zack shot back, looking back at Sephiroth briefly before regaining his staring contest with the floor.

Sephiroth turned to face him, "That's why I'm going, too."

Uh-oh. That wasn't good. I bit my bottom lip. Zack wouldn't have it in him to kill anybody just because the President ordered it. Sephiroth…well, I knew he wasn't a bad guy, but he had a little more conviction in him than Zack did. Zack must have figured the same, for he stood up slowly and faced Sephiroth with a frighteningly dark expression.

"To kill them?"

Sephiroth was silent, but from the angle that I was at, I could see him smirk just a bit. It was contagious, for I felt my own lips turn upward. No, he wouldn't kill them. He had something better in mind that would most likely piss off the higher-uppers. I almost grinned at the thought. Things were about to get very interesting.

My inner, evil thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an explosion and a small tremor beneath our feet. Red started flashing before my eyes, and it took me a second to realize a siren was accompanying the annoying flash of color. Looking around, I noticed alarms had magically popped out of the walls.

"When did those get there?" I asked. I was ignored.

Lazard, who had been leaning in front of his computer on his desk, stood up and stated the obvious, "An intruder."

"Where?" asked Zack, his expression having transformed from dark to worried in the blink of an eye.

"Close," the Director replied, "Sephiroth, the president!"

Sephiroth gave a short nod as he turned to leave the room.

"Zack, entrance."

Zack also nodded, "Yeah, you got it!"

Zack was already running out the door while Sephiroth was still briskly walking away. I snorted. The president must not be that important. I turned and looked at Lazard, frowning.

"What about me, sir?"

"You didn't bring your weapon," he replied grimly.

"Why the hell'd you think I was carrying around this box for?" I asked, kicking it over and knocking my staff out a little ways. "I figured it was the best way to walk from my house here without it being seen."

Lazard smiled lightly, "Very well, accompany Zack. I doubt you want to babysit the president anymore?"

I stuck my tongue out as I yanked my staff, quite violently, out of its box, "Heck naw, I'll pass on that, thank you."

With a wave, I took after the other two. I ran as fast as I could and luckily just happened to catch up with Zack. The elevator doors were already closing, but I managed to squeeze past them, bouncing into the back wall because I was unable to slam on my brakes and Zack oh-so-effortlessly stepped to the side. He raised a brow as he looked at my staff.

"I'm guessing that's what the box was for?" He asked.

"You'd be guessing right," I replied, straightening my helmet. "You coulda caught me, you know," I added as the elevator began descending.

"That would have hurt me more than the wall just hurt you."

"How you figure?"

He flicked the snout on my mask, "I can just imagine that thing poking eye my out."

I snickered at the image. I could also imagine it: Saan used Peck! Insert headbutting motion here. My musings were once again shattered as the elevator came to a stop on floor forty-nine—the SOLDIER floor. I whined. Nothing seemed to be going according to plan; I blamed Life.

"What the…?" Zack asked before looking at me, "It stopped?"

"Indeed it did," I replied.

The doors slid open and, much to my surprise, Zack stepped out of them.

"Uh, Zack? Entrance? Lazard? Job? Where are you going?"

My protests were drowned, however, by a researcher from the Materia Room.

"SOLDIER! Thank goodness!" He exclaimed, happy to see us, while I was not so happy to see him. He turned to face behind him, "Please, do something about _that_ quickly!"

"'That'?" Both Zack and I asked in unison, following his gaze.

Behind the man scuttled the tiny, red robots I had first encountered during my Turk training. I frowned. He was afraid of those little pipsqueaks? _Wow_, that was…way sad.

"Whoa! What is this?" Zack asked before diving in head-first into the hoard.

I sat back and twiddled my thumbs as Zack slashed wildly at them, at one time getting a little shocked by one before turning around and spearing it. Perhaps I should have helped him out with my Thunder materia, but it was more amusing watching him fight them. It didn't take long for the robots to expire.

"Thanks," the researcher breathed a sigh of relief, "you're a lifesaver."

"What was that?" Zack asked.

"You've never seen one before?"

"I have," I mumbled, remembering not-so-fond memories.

The researcher's eyes cut to me before focusing back on Zack, "That was Shin-Ra Building's intruder neutralization mech."

"Intruder neutralization?"

"Yeah, I know, right? 'Evil vacuum cleaner' is way easier to say," I threw in.

Zack frowned at me, "So why was it attacking Shin-Ra staff?"

"It just suddenly went out of control. They're stationed in other areas, too. Can you go check on them?" The researcher asked, and without another word, just hopped into the elevator and took off.

My jaw dropped, "Oi! Where you going!" I screamed at the already closed doors, "You chicken!"

"Hmm, the director told me to go to the entrance, but…" Zack trailed off.

I sighed. I knew the 'little puppy' wanted to go help anyone that was still stuck on the floor. His camaraderie was way stronger than mine was when it came to complete strangers that just happened to work with you. I gripped my staff and pointed with it.

"Look, I'll go that way," I motioned in the other direction, "and you go that way."

"What?" Zack asked, confused, "I thought you were going to protect the president."

I gave him a disgusted look, "Why in God's name would I ever do something like that? Besides, if I was going after the president, I would have gone _up_ instead of _down_ when I got to the elevators."

Zack looked like he'd been slapped by Captain Obvious. He scratched the back of his head, "I thought maybe you'd accidently got in the wrong elevator or something."

"Don't lump me in the same group as you," I lowered my voice at him before taking off towards the Training Room.

"That wasn't very nice, you know!" He called after me.

"I'm not nice!" I shouted back, muttering to myself, "You'd think you people would have figured that out by now."

As I approached the Training Room door, a scream emitted from the other side. Well, what do you know; my instincts must have been improving. Yet, the scream sounded oddly feminine, and last I checked, I was the only girl in SOLDIER. Oh, joy.

The door swished open and my eyes immediately landed on two Shin-Ra employees—one male, one female—standing in the middle of the 'arena,' cowering from a bunch of vacuum cleaners. I rolled my eyes. Of all the places to 'get it awn' they had to pick the Training Room. Really? Seriously? Ew. Suppressing my derogatory remarks, I ran into the room anyway.

"Get away from there!" I shouted at the dumb idiots, who quickly took off, leaving the robots for me.

I shot a short burst of Thunder at them. Unfortunately, they were a little stronger than that; so, I settled for a burst of Thundaga. The attack was complete overkill, but at least the job got done and I got a neat light show to accompany it. With the cleaners sizzling on the floor, I turned a stern eye on the employees.

"What, pray tell, were you doing in here?" I all but growled. Both flinched, and I assumed my suit only made my bad attitude seem worse.

"W-well, the Science Department had the Training Room all day…S-so we were here for…erm…maintance…" The man replied.

"Uh-huh. _Sure_ ya were."

"P-please…" The man stuttered nervously, "You mustn't tell anyone that we were in here!"

"Oh, I won't tell," I quickly replied. Because, personally, there were little visions running through my head that _I-Could-Not-Un-See. _"However, if you don't leave here immediately, we're all going to be screwed." Geh. More images…

"Oh, thank you! Please take this."

I blinked in astonishment as the man thrust some gil into my hand before he and the woman ran out of the room. Grinning like a maniac, I powered down my suit, and deposited the 5000 gil into my pocket. Maybe I should have run in on people more often… I shuddered.

"On second thought, nevermind."

My phone rang. That time I took the time to read the caller I.D. It was Lazard.

Flipping my phone open, I answered with, "Yo?"

"Anubis, where are you now?" he asked. His voice was amazingly calm for the situation we were in.

"The SOLDIER floor in the Training Room. I had to dispose of some rogue robots," I replied as I started to leave. I knew he was calling for me to hurry my ass up.

"Go with Zack and head for the entrance immediately. We have been massively compromised."

I blinked. I'd never thought I'd hear such words used before in my life. _Massively compromised_. When I was in Earth's military, I didn't even hear those words used in the same sentence.

"Got it," I replied, about to hang up the phone.

"I'm counting on you two."

I shut my phone, "D'aw. He's giving us pep-talks. Ain't that cute." I re-formed my suit, walked into the hallway, and looked up, noticing Zack rushing to the elevators from the opposite direction. "Oi! Wait up!"

—**FFVII—**

Leaving the elevator on the second floor was like entering a warzone—literally. The big machines from when I trained with Zack the day I fought the Black Widow were streaming in from a giant hole that had been blown open in the front entrance. SOLDIERs and infantryman were running in from all directions trying to stop them, only to be shot. I twitched as two men were mowed down by a hail of machine gun fire. My hand tightened around my staff. Things were serious then.

"Why are Shin-Ra weapons attacking the Shin-Ra building?" Zack shouted in the confusion.

Before I could reply, a man in red with red hair came sliding around a corner behind the two machines that had fired on the men previously. I squinted at him. Zack asked the same thing that was on my mind.

"Is Genesis responsible for this?"

I wasn't so sure the man was indeed Genesis. The red hair and red get-up fit, but he wasn't carrying a red sword and there was no black wing sticking out of his shoulder. My time spent pondering the possibilities only allowed more robots to pop in and more people to get shot. I growled.

"Zack, you handle the robots and Genesis look-alikes, I'll work on keeping these idiots alive," I commanded as I ran off towards the first fallen.

Though I had told him to take care of the enemies, there was still a few that lingered in my way. Before they could fire at me, I cast Thundara on them. My actions allowed me just enough time to cast cure on the two fallen men before the robots snapped out of their stupor and ready their aim at me again. Two more casts of Thundara and the robots finally fell; however, the Genesis look-a-like remained and I was his new target.

"Shit," I swore as I backpedaled just quick enough to avoid being slashed from the man's blade-weapons.

Without waiting for an opening, I swung my staff in a wide arc at him, hoping the prongs would catch flesh. They didn't as the man, quite expertly, dodged-rolled to the side and before I knew it, I was staring at his helmet as he was swinging his blades at my face.

I panicked and bent backwards. In a stroke of genius, I turned my would-be fall into a back flip, slamming my staff and hands onto the ground to steady myself. I cringed as I felt my right leg connect with something as I flipped backwards. Upon landing I realized my leg had miraculously collided with the man's head.

"Hyah!" I cried out as I swung my staff again, this time smacking him upside the head with the ankh of my staff.

He crumpled to the floor, most likely unconscious instead of dead. I didn't care; I'd take my victories however they came. Franticly looking around for anymore creepy individuals wanting to lop my head off, I saw none. However, Zack had his hands full fighting all manner of robots and—strangely enough—more Genesis look-alikes.

I bit my lip in an inner struggle between helping Zack and healing the wounded men on the opposite side of the room. Weighing my options, I figured Zack was a big kid and could take care of himself; and, if I was laying on a floor bleeding to death, I'd want to be saved. Come to think of that, that same situation _had _happened to me—Sephiroth being the one to do the saving. That being settled, I took a deep breath and sprinted across the lobby.

"I'llbeback!" I screeched to Zack as I zoomed past him.

"What?" I heard him shout at me before hearing the sound of his sword screeching against metal—another robot.

I skid to a halt and fell to my knees next to the two SOLDIERs. I quickly cast Cure on both of them, only to realize the spell had no affect on the one closest to me.

"Wha—"

I paused when I realized the reason my spell hadn't worked. The man wasn't breathing—he was dead. My chest tightened. It's one thing to hear of your comrades dying, it's another to actually witness it. That man had been killed while I was standing on the staircase thinking about something stupid and not acting; I was partially responsible. No way in hell was I going to allow that to rest on my conscience. Flinging my staff aside, I placed my right hand on his chest. Death had worked for me days ago. I was going to see if the other could, as well.

"Oh, no, you don't!" I growled, "Not on my watch."

Closing my eyes, I focused all my thoughts on trying to summon Life from the green rock on my hand. After battling with the thought of, _"Oh my god, I'm trying to synchronize thoughts with an inanimate object, and with my eyes closed, this probably looks really clichéd and corny_," I finally snapped and shouted:

"Oh, fuck it, LIFE!"

Much to my relief, and most likely that of the young man's on whom my hand was placed, a warmth emitted from my palm and I opened my eyes to see a white-ish green light dimming as the materia powered down. I'd never been happier to hear someone groan before.

"I did it!" I exclaimed as I threw my arms into the air.

"Duck!"

Obeying Zack's orders, I quickly ducked over the body beneath me. The snout of my mask collided with the ground as I did so, and I swore as not only were machine gun bullets flying over my head but my nose was in serious pain. I snapped my head up after the fire ceased and glared in the direction of the robot that'd fired at me. Growling, I grabbed my staff and aimed a Thundaga spell at it; however, nothing came out of the tiny rock.

"…Thundaga!" I shouted; nothing happened. I dreaded the next try, "Thunder?"

Once again, nothing happened. It was obvious that I had used all my magic and that's why no more spells were working. Of course, using Thundaga against stupid, little vacuum cleaners probably hadn't help my case any, but what was done was done. I groaned, pushed myself off the floor, and ran into the mass of robots Zack was fighting.

"Zack!" I shouted, running headlong at a robot only to duck, slide under it, and slam my diamond through its back and—ultimately—power source, "Don't die, I can't heal you!"

"Oh, wow, Anubis," he replied sarcastically as he swung at his robot's arm, knocking it away so he could spear it with his sword, disabling it, "was that supposed to cheer me on or something? Because it really didn't help me any."

I pouted a little at having been snapped at, but considering the circumstances and the fact I'd left him to fight…quite a bit of enemies, his sour mood was justifiable. The last two robots fell pretty quickly with both Zack and I hacking away at their weak points. No more stormed in through the opening in the front of the building, so it was safe to assume that we had won the battle.

Leaning over and grabbing my knees to hold me up, I gasped for air. When the adrenaline was flowing, everything was fine; however, with things calming down, all the little aches and pains were becoming noticeable and, God, was my nose killing me. As I reached up and started rubbing the aching appendage, I noticed Zack was gazing thoughtfully at one of the Genesis look-alikes. The sound of footsteps alerted me to Sephiroth's arrival.

Zack, having finally noticed his arrival, exclaimed, "Sephiroth! The intruders are Genesis copies."

Ah, so that was it. They were clones, not just look-alikes. Gaia never ceased to amaze me. Though Earth more than likely had cloning technology, it was never dumb enough to try such a thing. At least, not that I knew of, and certainly not publically.

"Hollander must be behind this," the General replied.

My "Who?" was barely overshadowed by Zack's "Who is that?"

"A Shin-Ra scientist who vanished after lifting the copy technology."

"Are you saying that this Hollander and Genesis are working together?" Zack asked.

"Perhaps," Sephiroth replied.

Zack folded his arms thoughtfully. It was cute watching him trying to be thoughtful. "What is it they're after…?"

"Hollander lost his bid for the leadership of the Science Department. He has borne a grudge against Shin-Ra ever since. Revenge is most likely his objective."

"_Wow_," I replied sarcastically. Who the hell would want to work for the Science Department? Then again, I'd take anyone over Hojo any day.

"That's just petty," Zack added. "Are you telling me that Genesis is supporting that idiotic cause?"

Sephiroth bowed his head. I felt sorry for him. I understood that Angeal and Genesis had been friends of his, and if Genesis was against him for something so stupid, it wouldn't be a good feeling.

"I would prefer not to believe it, but…" Sephiroth trailed off.

"Then don't believe it," Zack replied.

The kid amazed me sometimes. He could be so childlike, bounding off and doing things recklessly, and then he would do a complete 180° and say or do something so mature that adults twice his age sometimes had problems accomplishing. But, then again, that's usually how his kind was.

"Very well," Sephiroth said, his tone of voice back to normal, "I won't. Zack, Anubis, Genesis copies have been sighted in Sector 8 as well," he turned and began to walk away. "Let's go."

—**FFVII—**

****Sector 8 really was no different from the Shin-Ra building, save that there were fewer robots running around and more Genesis clones. Zack slid to a stop so abruptly I nearly crashed into him; I silently cursed Sephiroth for staying a few steps behind us at all times. I promised myself that one day I was going to catch him doing something really stupid; just because I was an ass.

"Whoa," Zack exclaimed, "this is some serious trouble!"

"Ya think?" I asked.

"We should split up," Sephiroth said.

Zack nodded, "Understood."

And like a bat outta Hell, there he went! Leaving me all alone with the General; or, so I thought until I turned around and noticed Sephiroth quite a bit away. My jaw dropped. Damn, could that guy walk!

"Dude!" I exclaimed. "What gives, man? Why am I always the odd one out? You know what, screw you," I grumbled at his retreating figure, "I'm going with Zack!"

I jogged in the direction the dark-haired teen went. It didn't take me long to catch up with him. He was by the fountain in the center of Sector 8. I skid to a stop when I recognized those who were with him. Only one man in Midgar had that hair and walk, and that was Reno. My thoughts were similar to what happens when someone slams random letters down on a keyboard:

_AKDFJLASKFJDLAF!_

"Sector 8 is Turk jurisdiction, slick!" I heard Reno say.

I had to hide! I couldn't allow Reno and Rude to recognize Anubis as Saan. They probably wouldn't care, but information leaks weren't smiled upon in Shin-Ra, regardless the circumstances. Turning around to bolt, I came face to face with Tseng.

"Fff—" was all that managed to slip out of my _"Fuckin' hell!"_ comment.

Tseng frowned at me quizzically before judging I wasn't an enemy and simply walked on by without saying a word. Grasping my chest and willing my heart to slow down, I quickly walked away from the fountain area. Okay, scratch the idea for following Zack around everywhere, and Lord only knew where Sephiroth went off to. I guessed I was just going to have to find and destroy Genesis clones on my own.

It didn't take me long to stumble across a residential looking area of Sector 8. Figuring that, if Genesis (or his clones) had any intelligence and they wanted to cause a lot of damage (or terror), there would be a lot of enemies there and I would do best to search the area. Unfortunately, one of those two options previously listed did not apply, because I found diddly-squat. The only person I encountered was a lone SOLDIER, and that was only after I had tripped over him and nearly fell flat on my face.

"What are you doing?" I screamed down at the man who seemed to be cowering behind a randomly placed box.

I didn't get an answer as aforementioned man suddenly jumped up, glomped me, and drug me back behind the box. After a brief scuffle that involved biting, kicking, slapping, a miniature girly cat-fight, and 'Pecking,' the man managed to grab a hold of my wrists and shouted:

"Saan!"

I paused briefly in my struggles, squinted at him, then screamed, "_Oh, God, no!_"

Growling, I wrenched my arms free from his grasp and slipped my left arm under his throat, pressing him against the wall, "What's my name?"

"Anubis," Jerry choked out.

I released him, "Good boy."

"Sa—I mean, Anubis! There's strange men running around with weapons and they all look the same!" Jerry exclaimed, obviously quite afraid.

"N'aw shit, Sherlock, I'm supposed to be _fighting_ those men!" I shouted back at him, smacking him over the head.

"Ow! You are? Wait, what's a sherlock?" He asked as he rubbed his helmet in a futile attempt to rub the back of his head.

"Never mind Sherlock! Where'd you see those Genesis copies?"

"Genesis—?"

I slammed my hand over his mouth, "Ssh! Just tell me where you saw them!"

Jerry mumbled something into my hand.

"What?" I asked, taking my hand off his mouth.

"Everywhere!"

I banged my helmet on his in exasperation, "Just tell me the nearest one."

"LOVELESS Avenue, I think."

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, standing up. I pointed at him, "And _you_, go home! I know your house is somewhere around here, so don't be chicken and stay cowering behind some box."

"I wasn't cowering, and I'm not—" Jerry tried to protest.

I lifted my staff and pretended I was going to hit him, "Go!"

He growled, but took off running anyway. Lowering my staff, I looked around, trying to remember where LOVELESS Avenue was from my position. Luckily, during my Ardovini mission as a Turk, I had become very well-acquainted with the layout of Sector 8. Pinpointing its location, I made a bee-line for it; and, unlike a majority of the time when people use that expression, that time it was an _actual_ bee-line. Buildings, staircases, and random cars were not something Anubis had the ability to faze through.

I wound up entering LOVELESS Avenue from the back way. The Genesis copy was easily recognizable, and I almost mistook it for the real one except for the fact that he was using a gun and a rod instead of a red sword and—once again—there was no black wing. His back was facing me giving me the perfect opportunity to sneak up on him and quickly deal a fatal blow.

Smirking to myself, I readied my staff out by my side and took off sprinting as silently as I could in his direction. In movies and games, the attacker would always, without fail, scream at the top of their lungs as they tried to land a surprise blow; I like to consider myself a lot smarter than the Average Movie Joe, so when I leapt in the air to stab the Genesis copy with my diamond, I made sure to keep my mouth shut. And, dammit, if he _still_ didn't know I was behind him.

I gasped as the Genesis copy effortlessly side-stepped my attack and I went pile-driving into the concrete instead of a squishy back. Insert a thought bubble full of swear words here. Snapping my head up to get a good look at the face of the Genesis copy, I was quite taken off guard. Genesis didn't appear to be that much older than me, a few years possibly, and had an eye color that was pretty unique. Yes, it was blue—a very popular eye color. Yet, it seemed different somehow, and not because of Mako. If the clone even had Mako in him.

My admiration of Genesis' genetics quickly ended when I realized _I was crouching on the ground staring at the enemy like a mentally challenged individual_. Quickly yanking my staff out of the ground, I backed away from Genesis. I don't think the Genesis clone knew what to do with a strange 'creature' dressed in black metal, for both of us wound up circling each other like two cats that are sizing each other up.

Eventually, Genesis Clone got tired of staring me down and launched himself at me, swinging his rod at various places on my body. Pretending the rod was the arms of my former martial arts teacher, I ducked and dodged to the best of my ability before grabbing the bottom of my staff from behind my back and swinging it around, aiming it at Genesis' head. The bastard was quick, however, and he grabbed a hold of my staff just under the ankh. I knew what would happen next, and when he yanked the staff to drag me towards him, I easily complied and kneed him in the stomach.

The clone grunted and released my staff, backing away from me. I spun my staff around in a fancy display of, 'Ha-ha, bitch,' as I thought of my options. The man was obviously better at me at fighting in close quarters, and he had a gun for long distance, whereas my magic had run out back in the Shin-Ra building so I was screwed on long distance. When it came down to it, I was probably in deep shit.

"Hey!" a female voice called out.

I looked over to my left to see a girl with curly, red hair and wearing a Turk uniform running in our direction—a red chakram was her weapon. Ask and you shall receive, eh? My musings were cut short when I saw the girl's face change to one of fear.

"Look out!" She screeched.

"_Ah, shit_," I thought as I turned to come face to face with the end of the clone's pistol. I was only able to move a fraction before a flash exploded from the barrel of the gun. The bullet hit my helmet before the sound even reached my ears. My head flew back painfully. The visor must have been hit because everything went black. I stumbled backwards as I felt more bullets collide with the suit, and when the clone finally stopped firing, I was a crumpled mess lying face down on the pavement.

Miraculously, none of the bullets had penetrated the armor; however, the damage done to it must have been extensive, for it deactivated almost immediately after I hit the ground. Figuring that ringing ears and a bruised body were all I was willing to risk, I remained motionless on the ground. If the poor girl perceived me as dead, she was just going to have to.

Since I refused to move, the only thing I could see was the ground, so I had to rely on sound for the rest of the fight. I could hear the girl's weapon whining as it flew through the air, and it clanging against the metal of the clone's rod (or gun); but, there was no satisfying ripping noise of steel slicing through flesh—meaning the poor girl was getting nowhere. _"Oh for the love of God,_" I thought, _"just kill him and get it over with._"

Shots rang out and I held my breath, praying a thud wasn't the next sound to reach my ears. Luckily, it wasn't; but, the girl did cry out once and I heard what sounded like a bullet ricocheting off metal—most likely her chakram was shot away. Fuck. Risking the chance of being seen and shot, I moved my head just enough to peek through my hair. I was surprised to see Zack coming out of nowhere and sliding in front of the girl to protect her.

"Another copy!" He shouted, readying his weapon, "Looks like this one's a cut above the masked guys!"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," I couldn't help but grumble.

Zack made quick work of the Genesis copy, but I expected nothing less from someone who actually _earned_ his First ranking as opposed to me—someone who was forced into it. Only once did he have a little difficulty, and that was when the clone did some wicked looking combo where he tried battering Zack with the rod a few times before firing twice with the gun.

With the Genesis copy lying motionless on the ground, I found it safe to resume living. I called upon my suit and found much to my astonishment, it to be working as if nothing had ever happened. Pushing myself off the ground, I walked towards Zack and the girl.

"Well, that was—" I jumped a little as a black wing shot out of the clone's left shoulder.

I watched in awe as the clone stumbled a bit in my direction before stretching its wing and trying to take to the skies. Then Zack sliced into him, causing him to twist in the air before falling on his back lifeless. I closed my mouth and only then noticed it was open in the first place.

Zack was frowning as both I and the girl approached the clone. I knelt down beside it, cocking my head to the side and staring at its wing.

"When I was a kid," the girl began, "I always wanted to have wings. You know, like an angel."

Fallen angel, I mused. We'd killed it—and we were after the original.

Zack turned away, "If people had wings, they'd be monsters."

I frowned at him. He was sorely misguided in that thought, and from his tone of voice, he didn't even believe it himself. So, why in the world had he said it in the first place? The girl seemed to take offense to his words.

"Wings symbolize freedom for those who have none. They don't," she shook her head forcefully, "symbolize monsters."

Zack turned back to face the girl, shook his head and smiled at her. I looked back and forth between them and had a funny feeling I was picking up on something I had missed before. Ignoring the atmosphere, I stood back up.

"SOLDIER First Class, indeed," the girl said all of a sudden back to business. "A very impressive show of force."

"Unlike the Turks, we folks at SOLDIER are paid to fight," Zack replied.

"Well, I'm off to my next job," she said, still smiling, "Didn't you have another assignment, too?"

Zack's mood became a little gloomier again, "Assignment… Yeah, I do…"

"I'm sure we'll see each other again," the girl replied before turning and running back towards the central plaza.

I watched her depart with my head lolled over to the side. Cutting my eyes at Zack, I smirked. He caught my gaze and frowned.

"What?" He asked innocently.

"And who's she?" I asked mockingly.

"Her name's Cissnei. She and some other Turks were around the fountain fighting Genesis copies."

"Ah," I replied. She must have arrived after I left; which wasn't that hard to believe since I had left in such a hurry.

Zack's phone rang. He reached into his pocket, pulled it out, looked at me, and flipped the phone open, quickly putting it on speaker. It was Sephiroth.

"Once Sector 8 is clear," the General's voice said, "come to Mako Reactor 5."

"Did you find something out?" Zack asked.

"Angeal has been sighted."

Zack's expression turned dark as he all but growled, "So, it's search and destroy?"

I frowned. Poor Zack still hadn't figured out Sephiroth had other plans. I didn't like the kid suffering, but I was sure Sephiroth was about to clear up that misunderstanding so I remained silent.

"The army is mobilizing," Sephiroth continued, "but there's still time. You, Anubis and I will find them before they do, and—"

I jumped as Zack screamed, "AND WHAT?"

"…fail to eliminate them," Sephiroth finished.

Zack's next expression can only be described as colon-D, "For real?"

Sephiroth chuckled, "Yes, for real."

"Excellent!" Zack grinned, then added, "Eh, probably!"

Sephiroth hung up and a dial tone emitted from the speaker. Zack grinned at me. I simply bowed and motioned for him to lead the way, 'cuz I had no idea where the hell Mako Reactor 5 was. The entire way there, Zack was a bumbling ball of energy.

—**FFVII—**

Mako Reactor 5 was, lo-and-behold, in Sector 5. The place was strangely full of pipes, metal mesh floors, and way too many ladders. It didn't help me any that, while walking on some parts of the floor, I had a clear view of what lay below: Mako. Tons and tons of green, glowing liquid just waiting to get into my veins and make me flop around like a fish. Ah, fond memories of Hojo's lab.

Looking down had its disadvantages, as I quickly found out when I collided with Zack's back and sword. It wasn't a comfortable feeling. The kid quickly herded me back as he drew his weapon. Moving so I could see what the hell he was drawing his weapon on, I was more than shocked to see some white, weird cross between a turtle and a frog standing there brandishing a pitchfork.

"Uh," I stuttered, stepping back a little," I let you handle that."

"Good idea," Zack replied as he shot towards the monster.

The creature must have had an amazingly tough hide because, though Zack slashed at it repeatedly, it still took a while to die. Once, things got a little hairy when the creature randomly jumped into the air; but, luckily, both Zack and I could be fast when we wanted to and we avoided getting speared from above. When the creature was defeated, Zack placed his sword back on his back, and I finally approached.

"Is that Angeal's face…?" He asked.

Sure enough, there was a disturbingly similar looking, tiny version of Angeal's face on the head of the monster. I got an uneasy feeling just looking at it. It was possible Genesis wasn't the only SOLDIER able to be cloned in some way. Foot falls alerted Sephiroth's arrival.

"It appears Genesis isn't the only one who can be copied," he commented as he passed both of us, only to stop a few steps behind us.

I frowned. I didn't know what the cloning business was all about, but I didn't like it. It was way too creepy—bordering on morbid—for my liking. And with two out of five Firsts having fallen victim to it, I was getting a little nervous myself.

There was a small interval of uncomfortable silence that passed between us before Sephiroth turned to face us slightly.

"The company training room…" He began.

"Hm?" Zack hummed in question.

"We used to sneak in there for fun, when the Seconds were out…" Sephiroth continued. "Genesis, Angeal, and I."

I smiled to myself. Whodathunkit? The Almighty Sephiroth was a little bit of a bad boy. Then again, considering how he was the one to think of the little plan we were enacting, it shouldn't have been that surprising.

"You guys were pretty tight," Zack said.

"Humph, I wonder…" Sephiroth trailed off.

The next thing I knew, Sephiroth was recounting a personal story of a fight he and the other two had had in the Training Room. I couldn't even imagine what could happen if three Firsts duked it out, but from what I could gather 'Epic' was a good word to describe it. Genesis had gotten cocky and tried to take Sephiroth on by himself, despite Angeal's protests. Sephiroth and Genesis were pretty well matched until Genesis used a fire-type spell. Again, Angeal tried to stop him; and, again, Genesis ignored him, that time choosing to attack Angeal with the last of the spell. Sephiroth wasn't harmed by Genesis spell, and chose to finally get serious. The fighting escalated to the point where neither man was going to back down, threatening to overload the Virtual Reality system the Training Room uses. Angeal put himself in-between the two, blocking Genesis' sword with a training sword and Sephiroth's with the big one he always carried on his back—the Buster Sword. Genesis still refused to give up and tried to get at Sephiroth with another spell, but his sword cleaved through Angeal's and the piece that broke off clipped Genesis shoulder. The program powered down; Genesis said he was fine.

"So, was everything alright?" Zack asked after Sephiroth finished his tale.

"Yes," Sephiroth replied, "as far as Genesis was concerned. But, as for Angeal…"

"Angeal? What happened?" Zack asked.

Sephiroth chuckled, "Later, I received one of his famous lectures."

"About what?"

"Always the same. Discipline, dreams, honor, et cetera…"

"Ah," Zack said, "one of those, huh?"

I smiled, "Seems like he was ya'lls' den mother."

Sephiroth walked back over to the Angeal clone, and I could tell by his body language that fun time was gone.

"So it's true…they're in league with Hollander," he muttered before walking further into the reactor.

I glanced down at the Angeal clone, and then back at Zack, before continuing on in the direction Sephiroth was headed. Zack followed after me. The General had come to rest in a corner about halfway through the complex. When we approached, he spoke.

"Hollander's secret laboratory is down this way, apparently. Perhaps we can find some information about Angeal's whereabouts there."

"All right, let's go," Zack and I chorused. I looked back and narrowed my eyes at him. 'Pinch, poke, you owe me a coke,' wouldn't work on that world considering there was no Coca-Cola company.

"There's only one problem," Sephiroth added.

"What's that?" I asked.

"The power to the door has been shut off, you're going to have to turn it back on," Sephiroth explained. "One of the valves will more than likely turn it on."

Zack nodded an affirmative before rushing towards the nearest 'twisty knob', as I liked to call them. I glared at Sephiroth. I had caught use of the contraction 'you're' instead of 'we're'.

"Oh, you, _bastard_," I seethed. "You're going to make _us_ do all the work."

A fine, silver eyebrow rose as he cocked his head to the side, "And what should happen if _we_ restored power to the door without anyone standing guard in case a stream of monsters were to come pouring out?"

I felt my eye twitch and continued to hiss, "I'll just go follow Zack…again."

That excuse of his was _so_ thought up last minute. He probably just didn't want his Almighty Sephiroth image to be ruined by doing something as trivial as turning a twisty knob. Then again, if his scenario did play through, Sephiroth was the best person to take on hordes of enemies in one go. I snickered as I pictured him standing in front of the door, the door busting open with tons of Angeal and Genesis copies slobbering and glaring at him, and he all, 'OH, HAI, GUYZ!' and snapping his fingers like Colonel Mustang; all the enemies bursting into flames. Ah, childhood, where had you gone?

When I'd caught up to Zack, two of the knobs had already been turned, leaving one remaining. I should have just stayed up on the floor Sephiroth was on… As the both of us walked towards the remaining knob, I entertained thoughts of turning back silently and letting Zack turn around only to realize I'm not there and be all, 'Huh?' However, a giant, white, mutant eyeball coming out of nowhere and shooting up into my peripheral line of sight quickly dashed those dreams.

I screamed a very sad and pitiful girly scream. Fight-or-flight instincts kicked in and before I knew what I was doing, I was trying to bash the monsters brains—or eyeball—in by repeatedly smacking it with my staff. Sadly, as I quickly noticed, my 'attacks' were having no effect, as I was hitting it with the blunt side. Zack knew I wasn't injuring the creature; so, he grabbed me around my waist, physically separating me from my victim, and placed me facing the knob.

"I'll handle the monster!" He shouted, "You take care of the valve!"

"Bu—" I tried to protest, but stopped when Zack released a low-grade Fire spell, smacking the monster in the face.

"I'll leave you to that, then," I muttered as I jogged to the knob.

Gripping the knob with my left-hand, I yanked.

"Oof!" I grunted as I collided into the knob.

Apparently, the knob was going to be a lot harder to turn than I thought it was. I growled, slammed my staff into the ground, and gripped the knob with both hands. I tried to twist the infernal object once again; and, once again, the knob proved stronger than I.

"Damn you," I growled through gritted teeth.

I walked to the side of the knob, gripped with both hands, and tried to put all my weight into turning. Had my 'shoes' been made of anything but metal, I probably would have had a better chance at it; however, my suit was sliding on the grating beneath it and I wound up doing jack-shit to the valve. For a brief second, I wondered if I was trying to pull in the wrong direction; yet, if I followed 'righty-tighty, lefty-loosey,' then I was, in fact, pulling in the _right_ direction. That meant I was as weak as a newborn.

I refused to give up, however. My current score that day was me: pathetic weakling, everybody else: kicking my ass. No way in hell would I let that record fly—not on my first day as a First! I gave up trying to pull on the valve and decided to try and use a trick I always used on my windows back when I lived in a double-wide trailer: leverage.

I wrenched my staff out of the ground and impaled it into the wall just above one of the spokes in the valve. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed a hold of my staff with both hands, jumped up, and shoved all my weight down on the rod. With a satisfying _creak_ the valve jerked and moved under my staff; while I nearly went head-over-heels to face plant the floor. Luckily, I re-righted my body weight and saved myself from such an embarrassing fate.

Yanking my staff out of the wall, I let it drop to the floor as I grabbed a hold of the valve and turned. Thankfully, it was loosened by my leverage technique enough for me to be able to turn it fluidly. As it turned, I could hear the hum of electricity branch out from the valves into the pipes that led to the door directly above—where Sephiroth was waiting.

"Zack!" I exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear, "I did it!"

Zack, who had just thrown a Fire spell that destroyed the last monster, turned to face me with a quizzical expression, "Congratulations?"

I frowned, "You have no idea what I just went through…And I'm not sure if I like or dislike that fact."

Zack nodded slowly, "Anyway, Sephiroth's waiting for us, let's go back up. I want to see if Hollander's lab has any information on what could be making Angeal act the way he is."

It was my turn to nod, "Since I didn't hear any massive explosions, I think it's safe to assume the place is clear."

"What?" Zack asked as I passed him, heading towards the staircase.

"Nothing."

When we reached Sephiroth, he stated the obvious that the power had been restored, and we walked into Hollander's lab. The General immediately walked to a tank in the corner and looked into. He frowned.

"A wretched sight…"

I blinked and watched him walk over to a clipboard. He picked it up and began reading it. My curious self wanted to know what he was talking about, so I walked over to the tank of Mako and looked in. I regretted doing so as I recoiled a little. Inside was one of the Angeal copies, the frog-like one. It was a sight that made me want to jump up and down twice and go, '_Ewww_,' but that would've seemed strange so I settled for a simple shudder.

I backed away from the tank, allowing Zack to look inside, and spotted some papers lying on what looked like a little generator. Walking over to them, I picked them up. The title read _The Ancients Project – Outline_.

"There's a monster inside," I heard Zack mumble. "Is this where they make the copies?"

I diverted my attention back to the papers in my hand. To save time, I decided to read them out loud.

"'It is now an undisputed fact that the life form excavated from the earth is indeed of the ancient race spoken of in legend. Furthermore, history records that these 'Ancients' channeled the power of this planet to tear the earth asunder. Using the cells of the unearthed Ancient, we have begun research on creating and mass-producing a race with comparable abilities. The primary objective of this research is to significantly reduce Mako excavation costs.'

"_Wow_," I huffed in disgust, tossing the papers to the side, "let's create a race of super-humans so we don't have to spend shit-loads of money. Sounds like something a government would do."

Even though I added my sarcastic remark, I couldn't help but think of Sephiroth; it was all I could do to keep from looking at him. I had a funny feeling where everything was going. Genesis had to have been one of the super-babies—nothing else explained the wing. Genesis looked like a normal person, otherwise. Sephiroth…looked far from a normal human. Silver hair was one thing, but his eyes…they were a dead giveaway. I prayed I was wrong; I didn't know how he'd handle that news.

Zack picked up another piece of paper and decided to read it aloud, too.

"'Report on the SOLDIER Degradation Phenomenon. The heightened abilities of SOLDIER members are maintained by a delicate balance of various genetic factors. A change in this balance could only be caused by a 'leak' of genetic information, but this is not possible under normal circumstances. This phenomenon is unique to the SOLDIER type G.'" Zack sagged his shoulders, "I'm feeling woozy…"

I couldn't help but snort. Was it all going over his head or something? Too much to handle perhaps? Poor, little Zack.

"It was before Genesis deserted," Sephiroth said suddenly, seemingly miles away. "The wound was superficial. But for some reason, Genesis wasn't healing. The man who treated him was…Hollander. He said the problem was the Mako energy that had seeped into the wound. When Angeal asked Hollander if the condition were treatable, Hollander replied that Genesis would need a transfusion. I stepped forward. I felt responsible for what happened with Genesis. But when I did, Angeal stopped me. Hollander said I wasn't viable to be a donor."

I frowned at the silver-haired man. He seemed really depressed. I could only imagine what he was going through, and thinking about past memories wasn't helping him at all.

"Why couldn't I be the donor…?" He asked himself, and then looked back at the tank, "A SOLDIER Type G…"

The room was silent for a moment. I never did like uncomfortable silence. Looking around the room absentmindedly I noticed two words were scribbled on the pipes near the ceiling in what looked like red paint. At least, I hoped it was red paint. The words were, morbidly enough, 'Dead' and 'Alone.' Frowning, I had a funny feeling I was falling into some serious and deep shit.

I heard rustling and looked over in the direction it came from. Zack had found another sheet of paper and began to read it.

"'Project G – Summary. Objective: Implant the cells of an Ancient into a human fetus to imbue said fetus with the Ancient's abilities,'" Zack slumped over, "Ugh…"

My hand tightened in disgust around my staff as I stormed towards the back of the room. It was one thing to make test tube super-babies, it was another to inject foreign DNA into an already developing organism. All manner of complications could have arisen from such a procedure. As a woman—even without children—I had an extreme sense of motherly instincts, and every new sheet of paper we read was pissing me off more and more. If Genesis had found out his origins, I didn't blame him for trying to destroy Shin-Ra; I would have, too!

"It was Hollander's experiment," Sephiroth said. "The result was a normal child. Which meant he failed. However… Project G gave birth to the man we know as Genesis."

"Appropriately named," I muttered to myself.

"Project G…" Zack replied, catching on.

"'Project Genesis.' Contrary to this report, Genesis showed clear signs of change."

"Degrading?" Zack asked.

"Not only that," Sephiroth replied, placing the clipboard down and walking towards Zack.

"Copies…?" Zack guessed.

Sephiroth looked at the Angeal clone suspended in the Mako tank, "Abominations…"

Seeing movement out of the corner of my eye, I turned to face the stairs. I nearly jumped when I realized there was an overweight man with black hair and beard descending them. For some strange reason, he reminded me a lot of Ronnie's father; which was strange because he didn't look anything like Ronnie's father…least not in the face. Zack and Sephiroth didn't see him until he spoke.

"S-Sephiroth?" The man asked in surprise.

Sephiroth turned to face the man and frowned. I assumed the man was Hollander. No other reason existed for Sephiroth to look so ticked off.

"Hollander," Sephiroth replied non to happily.

What do ya know, I was right.

"I thought I'd find you here," Sephiroth said walking towards the man.

The way he was moving he seemed to be trying to get around the side of Hollander, allowing Zack to approach from the other side and trap him. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

"The degradation process…" Hollander said randomly. "Only I can stop it."

I glared at the man with a strong desire to punch him. He was speaking way too highly of himself. He could have been right for all I knew, but he seemed so fucking arrogant that I immediately disliked the man. Were all scientists on Gaia complete assholes?

A sound of rustling caused me to look up. I was surprised to see Genesis—the real one because there was a sword—descending. He landed in-between Sephiroth and Hollander, obviously to prevent Sephiroth from getting to the scientist. I gave him points for entering the scene in such a dramatic fashion; however, the weird sound effects my brain was coming up with didn't help. I silently cursed the _Princess Tutu _bloopers I had seen years ago.

Happy memories quickly vanished as Genesis pointed his sword—it looked like a red rapier yet the blade was too thick—at Sephiroth's neck. He stretched his wing out in an attempt to protect Hollander even more.

"You won't take Hollander," he said firmly.

I was a little surprised by his voice. Both Angeal and Sephiroth had somewhat deep voices, Sephiroth especially; however, Genesis' seemed a little younger. He also spoke in a dramatic way, like he was befitting a stage or something. Genesis didn't have to worry much about Hollander as the fat man quickly took off running up the stairs. Sephiroth nearly growled.

"Zack! Go after Hollander!" The General ordered with a motion of his head.

"Yeah!" Zack nodded and took off after the scientist.

I was surprised to see Genesis move out of the way to allow Zack up the stairs. I thought he wanted to protect Hollander. Why would he do something like that? I frowned, thinking, before it occurred to me that we had come here because _Angeal_ had been spotted. He was most likely hiding somewhere else, and Genesis wasn't worried about his friend betraying him.

With Hollander and Zack gone, Genesis lowered his sword. He gave Sephiroth a smug look. I frowned.

"'There is no hate, only joy. For you are beloved by the goddess,'" Genesis said as he walked past Sephiroth. I wasn't entirely sure but it sounded like he was quoting something. '"Hero of the dawn, healer of worlds.'"

"_LOVELESS_ again? You never change," Sephiroth remarked.

"Three friends go into battle," Genesis continued. "One is captured, one flies away, the one that is left becomes a hero."

"A common story," Sephiroth replied, almost snappishly. Wasn't it, though? At least I was figuring out what the hell _LOVELESS_ was about.

"If we were to enact it, would I be the one to play the hero, or would you?"

Sephiroth turned and motioned with his hand. As if throwing the title back at Genesis, "It's all yours."

"Indeed," Genesis replied as he started pacing the room again. "After all, your glory should have been mine."

Sephiroth turned away, looking as disgusted as I felt at Genesis' childish words, "How petty."

"In hindsight, perhaps," Genesis said quietly. He finally turned to face Sephiroth, "Now, what I want most…Is the 'gift of the goddess.'"

Genesis smiled at Sephiroth and the look he gave him was anything but friendly. The staring match didn't last very long, only a few seconds, before Genesis' stance changed. Uh-oh.

"By the way," he said before turning his head to face me, "who are you?"

I resisted the urge to scream and run around in circles, arms in the air, waving them around like a fool. I had been content to simply being a statue as Sephiroth and Genesis were conversing; but, it seemed Genesis didn't like a random Anubis suit staring blankly at him and decided to drag me into their little quarrel. Fuck.

"Anubis," I replied calmly. "I'm the new girl. Ironically, I just got promoted a few days ago, and yet here I am, in the midst of all this mess. Funny how life works, eh?"

Genesis was staring at me, trying to figure me out. The Ancient's suit probably wasn't helping him any.

"You must be extremely new," he replied disdainfully, "I don't remember anyone like _you_ in SOLDIER."

"She has nothing to do with this, Genesis," Sephiroth spoke up. Cute, he was trying to protect me.

"Neither did The Puppy," Genesis replied lazily, cocking his head to look at Sephiroth, "and yet, look at him now. Shoving his nose in something he has no business being around."

"With all due respect, Genesis," I said before Sephiroth could say whatever he'd opened his mouth to say, "Angeal is one of Zack's friends, and Zack's the type of person to never abandon a friend. So, when Angeal joined you, it _became_ his business. Likewise, I consider Zack and Sephiroth some of my closest friends—whether they think the same about me or not. I'm not the type of person to abandon my friends. And, if you harm either one of them, I'll never cease hunting you, and when I find you, I'll make sure the rest of your life's a living hell."

Sephiroth stared at me in stunned silence. Genesis was a little shocked as well, but soon the corners of his mouth were turning up in a sly grin.

"Your conviction and loyalty are admirable. Yet, I wonder. Would you be able to stay true to those words if you knew the truth?" Genesis teased.

I slowly approached him, making sure not to give him the impression that I was fixing to attack him. The last thing I needed was a shiny, red sword sticking through my abdomen. When he merely observed my approach, I felt it safe to continue my little speech.

"Regardless of the truth, I'm not going to turn on _my friends_ for something _Shin-Ra_ did," I told him lowly, "Make sure you know who your enemies are before you randomly go and take your anger out on people."

I stepped back a little to make sure I had plenty of room to epically dodge Genesis should he decide he was tired of putting up with the annoying girl telling him what to do. Luckily, he didn't have that urge because my head didn't go flying off. He didn't look all that happy, though. Catching a random feather floating through the air, I smirked.

"Nice wing by the way," I twirled the feather in my fingers, "it matches your outfit. Now, if you'll excuse me," I gave a short nod to Sephiroth before looking back at Genesis, "I'm going to chase after Zack. Lord only knows what The Puppy is getting himself into."

I was quite surprised when I actually made it up the stairs and out of the room without dying. That was the first time I had ever met Genesis; however, I still went and lectured him like a mother would. My instincts about not getting skewered were, luckily, spot on. I figured that, if Angeal gave lectures to Genesis, Sephiroth, and Zack all the time, I had a chance of doing the same. Of course, there was nothing about honor or discipline in my speech, but I felt I had to say _something_ about Genesis' rash actions. Whether or not he would actually listen to me remained to be seen.

Absentmindedly twirling the feather between my fingers, I realized I had my work cut out for me when it came to hunting down Zack. The building was a maze of corridors and I had no idea which way he went. Sighing, I placed the feather behind my ear and began walking in a random direction. The rooms, though many, were remarkably bear, so I could see far in either direction and guesstimate which way Hollander and Zack had run off in.

I made a few wrong turns in the beginning, but after I started finding the corpses of monsters, clones, and robots, I knew I was heading in the right direction. I came to a clearing only to see Zack had lost Hollander and found Angeal. I frowned, crouched down on the stairs, and snuck forward, trying to figure out what was going on.

Much to my astonishment, two white wings erupted from Angeal's right shoulder. Geh. What the hell? Everyone was suddenly gaining wings! Then it occurred to me: Genesis had a wing because he was a SOLDIER Type G. The same had to apply for Angeal. Not only was the wing scenario similar, but also, both were able to be cloned. Leaking DNA, clones, degradation. My breath caught as I realized the same things happening to Genesis were going to happen to Angeal. Zack wasn't going to like hearing that…

Crouch-walking forward I tried to get close enough so I could hear what was being said. When I finally got close enough, Angeal was talking.

"Well, then," he said as he nodded towards his wings, "what are they?"

Zack caught one of the falling feathers, "Angel's wings."

I smiled a little. Using the same talk Cissnei had used on him to cheer _him_ up. Genius move, Zack.

"I see. Then what should an angel wish for, Zack? What do angels dream of?" Angeal yelled into the sky angrily. It seemed he wasn't taking his situation well, either.

Angeal raised his sword to his face like a warrior usually does in the movies, spun it, and slammed it into the ground. He stalked towards Zack, causing the teen to back up, coming towards my position.

"Angeal…" Zack hesitated.

"Angels dream of one thing," Angeal said as he slowed his walk.

"Please, tell me," Zack replied, stopping.

"To be human," Angeal answered.

Before I could even blink, Angeal delivered a strong punch to Zack's abdomen. The force of the blow was unnaturally powerful, as Zack went flipping through the air before colliding loudly with the ground, rolling a few times before stopping. I jerked to get up and help him, but he moved. I watched in amazement as he pushed himself off the ground and stood up, his hands in front of him defensively. Super-soldiers, indeed…

As quickly as Zack's arms raised to defend him, they dropped. Angeal looked at him angrily.

"Defend yourself!" He shouted.

"You idiot," I mumbled to myself. "He doesn't want to fight a friend."

When Zack shook his head no, Angeal raised his right hand. A strange, reddish-white light engulfed it. He cried out, slamming his fist into the ground. A weird light beam shot across the ground towards Zack. I watched in horror as the light slammed into the metal mesh portion of the floor. Zack cried out, the mesh snapping beneath his feet.

"Zack!" I screamed, jumping up and running towards the hole Zack had fallen through.

I skid to a halt, peering down the hole at me feet. I couldn't see anything, it was too dark down there. My head snapped up as I stared at Angeal in disbelief; he looked as surprised as I did.

**A/N: "Like that one time with HAMLET"- Senior English. Had to read Hamlet. Teacher's book. I opened a Sprite on the bus, it spewed, it landed on Hamlet. I screamed to Ronnie, "SAVE HAMLET!" as sticky soda almost ruined my outfit for the FBLA Regional Competition. Lawl.**

**Overall, Saan used about 181 MP. As she levels up, it will increase...naturally.**

**This is what happens when I am attacked by dyslexia:  
hitsuki_sasaki_1: HOLY FUCKING SHIT  
hitsuki_sasaki_1: WOOOOOOOOOOOW  
Ashi: O.O  
Ashi: WHAT  
hitsuki_sasaki_1: I am so glad I caught that one  
hitsuki_sasaki_1: I was trying to say "I slammed my hand over his mouth" and so just typed "I slammed my mouth over his" and caught myself all, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"  
Ashi: LMFAO!  
Ashi: -DIES-  
Ashi: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA  
hitsuki_sasaki_1: I didn't know Saan was that desperate D=**

**Yes, that's my Yahoo name; no, that's not Ashi's.**

**"Lolwhut? Saan's suit is bulletproof? D Do not approve!" Yes, bulletproof to an extent. The suit sustains damage as well as a bulletproof vest. After taking enough damage, the suit will deactivate to heal itself. It's not a complete shield and has its weaknesses. Had Saan chose to move after the suit deactivated, she would have been shot, and probably killed.**

**All that being said, I would like to add that a picture of Saan in her suit and a picture of Saan, Roni, and Jerry created from the AnimeFaceMaker have been uploaded (for months) on Deviantart. My name is mixgoldenphoenix on that website as well. Though I'm sure if you type in "To Gaia, From Earth" you'll get the images. Please don't laugh too much ;-;. I promise not to wait ten months for the next update.**

_**Edit: Wow, I had some spelling issues in this one. "For you are beloved by the Goddess" said "Foy you"…which totally killed the mood. Among other things. Righteo then.**_


	17. Genesis

**A/N: What's fun is when you're rereading an action scene in your own fan fic and then the FFVII boss theme 'Those Who Fight Futher' by the Black Mages starts playing on your ProjectPlaylist list. EPIC!**

**Special acknowledgements go out to Mooncry, Dreylan, crystalfeathers, Blue Fire Lily, and Risikaa for being the first people to review me after my long hiatus. Most of these people also checked out my Deviantart page and left me little comments. I am eternally grateful (so just typed gratefally… what?). –stares at word- Come to think of it, why is it "great" and then "grateful"… the e got bored and decided to switch places, or something?**

**It has come to my attention that in the previous chapter there's a random "**_**..See."**_** I was trying to say, "**_**Could-Not-Un-See.**_**" Only with periods instead of dashes; however, apparently, this website doesn't like italics and periods. It doesn't like exclamation points and question marks right beside one another, either. So, if someone's screaming a question and only a question mark pops up, just know that there **_**was**_** an exclamation point there at one time, too.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy. However, I do own this plot, Saan, and a FFVIII Bahamut action figure. Why am I mentioning Bahamut? You'll find out.**

_**Edited on 19 October 2010 for errors and goofs. I'm so ignoring my Literature assignment right now.**_

"What the hell are you thinking?" I screeched to the man standing across from me.

Maybe I had misjudged Angeal when I thought he wouldn't harm Zack; but, to cause him to fall from such a great height? It couldn't be that he'd meant to do something like that. No, it had to have been an accident. No one in their right mind would have wanted to hurt Zack, let alone kill him. He was Zack! The cute, little kid who ran around and did stupid shit just so everybody could be happy.

Angeal seemed thrown off by my sudden outburst, but it wasn't because I had screamed at him. Walking towards me, he frowned.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"What the hell does it matter who I am?" I shouted, "Why did you do that!"

Angeal paused and was silent for a moment before putting his hand to his mouth thoughtfully, "I see. I remember you now. You were that Turk that one time."

My jaw dropped. It would figure that _Angeal_, the man I was currently pissed off at, would be the only one to be able to tell who I had been before becoming Anubis. Normally, I would have been leaping for joy that someone remembered me; however, given the situation, I was far from acting like my usual self. Resisting the urge to pull at my hair, I growled.

"Where the hell does that hole lead!" I yelled, pointing at said chasm with my staff.

Angeal gave me a quizzical look before replying, "I'm not sure. But, considering we're currently in Sector 5…I think it's safe to assume that below us are the Sector 5 Slums."

I wanted to kick myself. It was so simple, after all. If someone was on a second-story of a building and the floor gave way, it stood to reason that that person would wind up on the first floor. That is what happens when Saan is flustered; she forgets reason.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Angeal added, strangely calm. "Zack's a lot stronger than he looks."

I gave him a hard stare, "You're telling me SOLDIERs can fall from such great heights and merely walk away?"

The man simply smiled, "You haven't been in SOLDIER long, have you?"

I clenched my teeth together. I wasn't in the mood for teasing. Though I had been in SOLDIER long enough to know the basics of materia and how procedure worked, I was still in the dark when it came to the extent that Mako-infused bodies could endure. After all, I didn't have one. I was a simple girl running around in a shiny, metal suit. If I had been the one to fall, that would have been the end of Anubis.

"I pray for your sake you're right," I hissed before spinning on my heel and storming away.

Fighting against Angeal would have been useless and stupid. I was nothing without my materia, and Angeal had merely _punched_ Zack and sent him flying. There was no way I could have fought him and won. Besides, making sure Zack was okay was more important than capturing a deserted SOLDIER.

I hurried out of the clearing and back the way I came. Trains ran from the plate to the Slums all the time. I could catch one, go to Sector 5, and search for Zack. Sephiroth wouldn't because he would more than likely be fooling around with Genesis, Angeal, or taking care of work back at the Shin-Ra building. Plus, he'd probably say something along the lines that Angeal had. "Zack's a big boy; he can take care of himself." Yeah, okay, I knew he was tough… But, that _was_ a massive fall.

As I was walking through the corridors leading back to Hollander's lab, I encountered Sephiroth. He was walking in my direction—most likely going to see what was keeping Zack and me—and he didn't look too happy. Genesis probably escaped; or, he let him escape. When I thought about it, we _had_ come to _fail_ to eliminate them.

"Where are you going?" Sephiroth asked, stopping.

"To find Zack," I replied, walking past him.

I yelped a little when Sephiroth grabbed a hold of my arm and pulled me back. He had only meant to _pull_, but since I was in such a hurry, couldn't slam on my brakes quick enough, and he was a lot stronger than me, _pull_ became _yank_. He quickly let go of my arm, most likely as a form of apology.

"What happened?" He asked, quick and to the point.

"Zack fell through the floor," I replied, frowning. "That's what happens when Shin-Ra decides to make its floors out of metal grating."

"Where's Hollander?"

Considering he didn't get worried over Zack, he probably thought he was ok. Yet, since I was mortal, I was still worried about the boy, and I was still going to go search for him.

"Probably took off with Angeal," I replied with a wave of my hand.

"You didn't try to stop him?" Sephiroth asked, frowning.

Urge to strangle rising…

"How?" I asked. "His fat ass is twice the size of mine, there was no way I could use force. Angeal probably would have pwned my ass—"

"Pwn?"

"—if I had tried to use my staff against him, and I'm out of magic. Besides, Zack is a little more important than a second-rate scientist. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find Zack and pray he's not broken anything."

I only made it a few steps before Sephiroth called me back.

"Wait," he said, "what about your staff?"

"What?" I asked, turning back around to face him.

Sephiroth sighed, "If you go into the Slums as Anubis, what do you think will happen? You'll scare the civilians. You'll have to power down your suit. But, if you do that, your staff will give you away…"

I frowned at him. He was right, as usual. Anubis was pretty intimidating and the suit just screamed, 'I'mma warrior come to kick your ass!' It would have to go if I wanted to search for Zack without scaring anyone. And, yes, my staff was sort of a trademark to the Anubis suit; so, if I went around carrying it, it would be a dead giveaway. However, I didn't want to call off my search for Zack. I sighed and shoved my staff in Sephiroth's direction. He blinked in surprise.

"Take it," I said. He frowned, so I continued, "Look, I'm not wasting my time to run all the way to the Shin-Ra building to put this thing in its box. You'll be going there anyway, won't you? After all, with Genesis and Angeal gone, there's nothing else for you to do, is there? It won't look that weird if a SOLDIER is carrying another SOLDIER's weapon. Not that you'd let yourself be seen. What with all the fan girls you have, I'm pretty sure you're good at hiding by now."

Sephiroth was silent for a moment before tentatively reaching out and taking the staff.

"Fine," he said, "but just this once. Don't expect me to take care of your mishaps all the time."

"I wouldn't dream of it," I replied sarcastically, giving my best fake grin to date.

Before he could change his mind, I was sprinting through the corridors and towards Hollander's lab. It would take me a while to get back to a train platform and to the Sector 5 Slums, but I would try and go as fast as I could. With the initial shock of Zack falling wearing off, I was becoming more confident that he wasn't seriously injured. Yet, that wasn't going to stop me from checking up on him. Plus, I was pretty sure that if I didn't go to the Slums like I said I would, Sephiroth would spear me with my own diamond for making him carry my staff around.

—**FFVII—**

When I arrived in the central area of the Sector 5 Slums, I was a little surprised by what I saw. I mean, it was just like what one would picture a slum to look like; dirty, stuffy, cluttered with junk. But, it was different than the Sector 6 Slums, also known as Wall Market.

Sector 6 was the place Ronnie and I had entered when we first arrived in Midgar months ago. It seemed like a miniature version of Las Vegas. The little place was full of questionable places that no child should ever go, and the characters were just as bad. Yet, if we had never gone there, we would never have met Reno or gotten directions to the Shin-Ra building. In other words, I wouldn't have been standing where I was if things had happened differently. It was funny how life worked sometimes.

Sector 5, on the other hand, seemed a little more cramped and a lot less shady. To my right stood a little girl who was watching me aimlessly, to my left was a cross between a trailer and a van that seemed to be a shop of some kind. I couldn't see what it sold from my angle. Walking around the place, I also noticed a materia shop, a dude with a crap-load of lumber around him, a lone Shin-Ra Infantryman, and an accessory shop titled 'Shopping Paradise.' Overall, the place was nowhere near as impressive as Sector 6.

Walking out of the Central Slums area, I nearly had a heart attack. There was Zack, completely unscathed, standing and talking with some reddish-brown haired girl. She had a pretty awesome braid going on. Forgetting my manners, I walked over to them and 'announced' my arrival.

"What the hell are you made out of?" I asked. Zack and the girl looked over to me as I approached, "Steel?"

"Saan!" Zack exclaimed. "How'd you know where I was?"

I frowned at him as I stopped in front of them. I put my hands on my hips, "You fell through the plate in Sector 5. It's obvious you would land in the Slums under Sector 5."

Yes, I used the logic Angeal had used on me on Zack. The girl gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth in surprise.

"So far!" She exclaimed. I raised an eyebrow at her. Tell me about it…

Zack scratched the back of his head nervously, "Haha…well. No harm done. Luckily, I landed in a church and Aerith was there to wake me up."

"Aerith?" I asked looking at the girl.

The girl nodded at me, stretching out her hand for me to shake, "Hello, nice to meet you…?"

"Saan," I replied, extending my own arm to shake her hand. I thought it strange she wanted me to give my name even though she'd heard Zack yell it.

As soon as our hands touched, Aerith's smile faded. She looked down at my hand and released it, albeit politely. I frowned. It seemed something was bothering her; something was on her mind. It took me a second to realize she wasn't staring at my hand, but the bangle on my arm. That worried me. Uncomfortably, I hid my arm behind my back. I should have worn long sleeves.

Aerith blinked, realizing she was staring, and the smile returned, though it wasn't as bright as before.

"We were just on our way to the Central Slums," Zack said, breaking the strange spell that had come over us. "I was going to take a train back to the plate. Aerith was guiding me. We encountered some monsters along the way, but—"

"Zack took care of them," Aerith finished. "He's pretty strong. But, you probably already knew that."

I looked away, "Sort of. Unfortunately, I underestimated how strong he was. I won't do that again." I looked back up at Zack, "We should get going."

Aerith frowned, "Do the slums seem strange to you?"

I was thrown off by her sudden question, "Not really…"

Aerith smiled again, "Good." She walked a little ways toward the Central Slums' entrance, "I grew up here, you know."

Did she now? I wondered what it was like growing up in such a run-down looking place. I couldn't say much, since I was raised in the country. But, the country _was_ different from living under a giant metropolis. At least, I considered Midgar a metropolis on Gaia. Kalm and Junon were nowhere near as big.

"It's kinda stuffy down here," Zack commented.

"Really?" Aerith asked, "It's always like this, though."

I could understand why it was always stuffy: little to no ventilation shafts. Even if the plate wasn't _directly_ on the Slums—like a lid—it still prevented stale air from going directly into the sky, or fresh air from getting into the Slums.

Zack slammed his fist into his palm, "I know what it is. You can't see the sky."

There was that, too… I usually looked down when I walked, I guess so I wouldn't trip over anything, but when I finally did look up, the plate was the only thing you could see. It annoyed me; like something was blocking my view.

"Who wants to see the sky?" Aerith asked. "I don't, that's for sure."

I looked at her quizzically. The sky was something people took for granted, and when it wasn't there, one tended to notice right away. Yet, for Aerith—someone raised under the plate—she'd probably never really took a good look at the sky; she wasn't missing anything. But why _not_ want to see it?

"Wouldn't you normally miss seeing the sky if you lived under a plate all year round?" Zack asked, obviously not as able to catch on to things as quickly as I was.

"I guess I'm not normal," Aerith replied, bowing her head a little.

"You want to talk about it?"

"The sky frightens me. I feel like it's sucking me in…Weird, huh?"

"You're right that is weird," I interjected. Aerith and Zack looked at me—Aerith curiously, Zack annoyed. I continued, "Do you think the sky's sucking you in because it's so wide? So open? I've been a pilot; I can attest to the fact the sky _is_ big. But, the earth is just as big and open, if you think about it. You're not afraid of the earth, are you?"

Aerith looked down, seemingly contemplating my words, "Think…so?"

"I have an idea!" Zack exclaimed. "One day, I'll take you to see a beautiful sky, the real sky."

I smirked and looked away. Cute, Zack, cute. Flirting already? Come to think of it, it wasn't too long ago that Zack was behaving similarly with that Turk girl. Cissnei, I recalled. I snorted. So, that's the type of person Zack was. But, I couldn't hold it against him. That's just how Zack was.

Aerith looked up at him briefly, and then turned her gaze back to the ground, unsure.

"It's not frightening at all," Zack added. "I know you're gonna love it."

Aerith closed her eyes to think, opened them, looked at Zack, and nodded. I sighed. The little romantic scene could continue on until the end of time knowing teenagers, and my patience was wearing thin. Sephiroth was probably upset with me for pawning my staff off on him, and I'm sure he and Lazard would have liked to know where Zack and I were. It would have been best if we hurried on to the Shin-Ra building to regroup.

"All right, kiddies," I spoke up. "Are we going to the Central Slums," I nodded behind me, "or not?"

Aerith nodded and led the way. Zack followed her but stopped beside me. He was frowning just a little.

"That was a little harsh, you know," he said. "Calling her weird."

"You can't baby them all, Zack," I replied. "I simply call it how I see it. Besides," I winked at him, "I'm a lot weirder than she is. Trust me."

Re-entering the Central Slums reminded me how unimpressive it was. However, Zack seemed to think otherwise. Of course, it probably was his first time stepping into the Slums.

"Hmm…" He said thoughtfully. "Looks like an interesting place."

"Maybe I should take a look around?" Aerith asked.

That's when I saw him. A little kid, looked like he was in middle school, running in our direction. I watched silently as he ran headlong into Zack, bumping into him, only to act as if it had been Zack's fault.

"Whoa! Watch out!" The boy shouted, highly annoyed.

"Oh, sorry…" Zack apologized.

"Be more careful!" The kid shot back before running off.

Hit-and-run on foot. I'd never seen a mugging until that moment—not counting the time I mugged a man myself—and it was highly amusing watching Zack's innocence shatter. It was Aerith that pointed out his ignorant mistake.

"Hey, Zack?" She asked nervously, "You didn't just…lose something, did you? Like any of your belongings?"

"Did I lose something?" Zack questioned, looking at her. He looked down at himself and started patting his pants' pockets, "I don't think so…" His eyes widened suddenly, "Huh! Aagh! My wallet!"

"It's gone?" Aerith asked, though I knew she knew the answer.

"You got _robbed_, dude," I smirked evilly.

"Was it that kid?" Zack asked looking in the direction the kid ran off.

"No," I replied sarcastically, "it was Angeal. Of course it was the kid! I saw him do it."

Zack turned on me, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it wasn't _my _wallet he was after. If he'd taken _my _wallet, I would have killed him."

"Saan!" Aerith exclaimed.

I frowned at her, "Ok, fine, given him really big boo-boos."

"That's not a very nice thing to say," Aerith reproached.

"I'm not nice," I replied, smiling apologetically. "Why do you people keep assuming I'm nice? I'm not nice. I'm…_not…nice…_ Oi vey."

"Tch," Zack snorted, "Whatever. I'm gonna hunt him down!"

"Zack, wait," Aerith said quickly. "I'm sorry, but I know that boy."

"You know him?"

"There has to be some reason. He would usually never do something like this."

"Whatever the reason, stealing is wrong. I'm gonna find him, and…"

"Let's ask him why he did it," Aerith said suddenly. "I'll bring him here."

I blinked as the girl took off around one of the shops. She seemed really determined to clear the young boy's name. For all I knew, she was right about the boy only stealing because of some important reason. But, Zack was also right—stealing was wrong regardless of the reasons. Either way, I was just glad it wasn't my wallet stolen. I grinned smugly when I remembered the 5000 gil in my pocket.

Zack turned around and faced me. When he gave me his hurt puppy dog look, I was like a deer caught in the headlights. Try as I might, I couldn't look away. Dammit! I swore to myself he knew that look of his worked on everybody.

"Ok, fine!" I groaned. "I'll help you get back your wallet. I did watch it get stolen, after all, and I guess I do owe it to you because of that."

Zack smiled, a little smugly, "You know, for someone who claims they're not nice, you really do like helping people out."

"Shut up," I snapped half-heartedly. "If they think I'm nice, they'll take advantage of me, and then I'll become a grumpy old fart."

"You've really thought that through, haven't you?" He asked.

"Yes."

I turned and went down the little alley that was directly across from Shopping Paradise. I hadn't gone far when my phone went off. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled it out and saw a little envelope on the front. The annoying AOL 'You've got mail!' ran through my head as I flipped open my phone to check the message.

It seemed to be a mass message from Lazard addressed to SOLDIER members. It read:

_SOLDIER members, I thank you for your daily hard work. On the ground, beneath our aerial city of Midgar and in the shadow of its plates, lie the Slums. They also symbolize one of Shin-Ra's "distortions." There are reports of children forming gangs in the harsh environment they call home. To look away from this will surely cast a large shadow on Shin-Ra's future growth. It is my hope that we members of SOLDIER can rise up to address this "distortion."_

I nodded my head once at my phone, digesting all that I'd read.

"It's like he's God, or something," I spoke to it. "He's omnipotent, and knows exactly where we are at all times, and he sends us little words of encouragement that will help us go along the right path. It's fuckin' creepy."

More than a little weirded out over the timing of Lazard's message and the scenario we were currently in, I pocketed my phone and continued on my way. Just as I was nearing the end of the alley, the boy appeared in front of the Shopping Paradise store. I froze and, much like a cat, tried to inch my way around so I could come up behind him.

Before I could pounce, however, I realized that Zack was in front of Shopping Paradise talking to the store lady. My jaw dropped. The idiot hadn't realized the kid was behind him! For whatever reason, the lady pointed in the direction opposite the boy, and Zack took off running. I saw her giggle to herself. My fists contracted and relaxed repeatedly as I narrowed my eyes at the woman. She was protecting the kid! If I'd had my staff with me, I would have stabbed her.

I heard Zack shout when he realized he'd been duped. The child took off…in my direction. He gasped when he saw me. Thinking fast, I tried to grab him with my left hand. Unfortunately, when I grabbed a hold of his arm, the little shit used his fingernails and raked off a good portion of skin from my forearm. I cried out, shaking my arm, and accidently released the boy. He stuck his tongue out at me as he continued running.

My jaw dropped for what could have been the thousandth time that day.

"Oh, it is on," I seethed. I turned back towards Shopping Paradise to see Zack standing there.

"What's the big idea, sister?" He asked peevishly.

The clerk giggled, "I didn't mean to trick you or anything! I just have really bad eyesight."

"Bullshit," I snapped angrily as I approached them. "The kid was standing behind him the whole time. If you couldn't see him, then I wonder how in the world you're able to see Zack right now?"

Zack sighed, "It's all right, I'll try looking elsewhere."

Before I could protest that, no, it was _not_ all right, Aerith came running up, "Zack! Saan!"

"Oh, Aerith! Did you find the kid?" Zack asked.

She shook her head, "Not yet, but we'll find him soon, I promise."

Aerith turned to leave, but I grabbed her wrist. She jumped a little as she turned to look back at me.

"Hold up," I said. "We're going to get nowhere if we all three look for this kid separately. He could be leading us around in circles for all we know; and, like a dog, we can't catch our own tail. On top of that, none of the people here are going to help Zack because he's an outsider. We're going to have to work together to catch this kid."

I let go of her wrist. Aerith looked down at the ground thoughtfully. It wasn't long before she looked back at me and nodded.

"You're probably right," she replied.

"Then what would you have us do, oh, Wise One?" Zack asked mockingly.

I grinned maliciously, "Zack, my boy, you're going to be the decoy."

"What?" He asked hesitantly.

"It's simple. The people here aren't going to trust you because you're not 'one of them,'" I said, using air quotes for emphasis. "So, you're going to ask them to help you. Of course they're not going to do it. However, while you're preoccupied with one of the store clerks, the boy will let his guard down, and _that's_ when Aerith and I catch the boy."

Both were silent before Zack scratched the back of his head saying, "Wow. That's actually a good idea."

"Of course it is, I thought of it," I replied.

"Which store clerk are we going to use?" Aerith asked.

"Hmm…" I hummed, thinking thoughtful thoughts, "Which store would Zack appear the most gullible at?"

I could feel him glaring at me. It wasn't that much of a glare, but I could still feel it.

Aerith seemed to put on her thinking cap, placing her hand to her mouth and staring down at the ground. She jumped a little when she thought of something.

"I know!" She exclaimed. "The ribbon shop!"

"The what?" I asked.

"The one by the trailer?" Zack asked.

Oh, that shop. The one I hadn't been able to see the merchandise at my first walk-through. The store was on the opposite side of the Central Slums. Recalling the layout of the place, it didn't seem that bad of an idea. If Zack was at the shop, moved down towards the opposite side of the area, then the kid might come from the left… Aerith could move in behind him, and I could hide near some rubble behind one of the buildings in the center of the area. Either way the kid ran, he'd get caught.

"Saan?" I heard Aerith ask. I snapped my attention up from the ground I didn't realize I was staring at.

"You were kinda staring off into space, there," Zack added.

"I was thinking again," I replied. "Ok, here's what we're going to do. Zack, you're going to tell the clerk to watch out for the boy. Then, you're going to walk towards the back wall—"

"You mean the other end of the area?" He asked.

"Yes. I'm going to come around and hide near the main building. Aerith, you're going to come from the right side of the building towards the ribbon shop, but _only_ after the kid's passed you. That way you end up behind him, I've got him from the side, and Zack's got him from the front."

Aerith nodded, "That sounds like a plan. But…if we catch him, we have to his story out."

I sighed. Personally, I didn't care why he did it anymore. I just wanted payback for him scratching my arm. Plus, I had to admit, helping Zack chase around a little boy who stole his wallet was kind of fun. After the day I'd had, I could have used a little fun.

"All right, all right," Zack conceded, "We'll ask him why he did it."

"Okay, then I'll help you," Aerith smiled. She turned and ran to take her position.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Zack asked, facing me.

"Pretty sure," I replied. "Unless he pulls a _Matrix_ move and tries to run up the walls."

Zack gave me a confused look. He shrugged it off, most likely scoring it as one of Saan's "strange moments," and walked off towards the ribbon shop. I smiled. Now that people around me were getting accustomed to my strange ways, I was able to release my "inside" jokes more frequently without having to worry about someone pointing at me and going, "ALIEN!" I'd rather have been considered a freak than a freak of nature.

When all three were finally in place, I sat hunched down in the shadows near a box behind the building. It was really uncomfortable to stay in a crouching position, but it was definitely going to be worth it. Zack finished his description of the boy to the clerk, the clerk said he'd watch for him, and then Zack was off and walking in the direction I had told him. I hadn't predicted how long it would take the boy to try and go to the ribbon shop, but I prayed it wouldn't be very long. Staying in a crouching position was not something I was forced to do a lot, and my anxiousness was not helping my wobbles any.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for the boy to come easing around the corner. I held my breath as he passed me, somehow thinking that would make me less visible. The kid stopped, sure enough, at the ribbon shop and started conversing with the clerk. I sucked on the bottom of my lip. Now was the time when Zack was supposed to do his thing…if he hadn't already run a complete circle around the area.

Right on cue, Zack shouted at the boy from wherever the hell he was at. The kid looked down in the direction Zack had run, turned, and tried to flee back towards Aerith. He stopped suddenly and I assumed it was because Aerith was approaching him—I couldn't tell because of the box. That's when the kid did something I wasn't expecting. He bolted in the direction of the train platform. My eyes widened as I realized my plan was about to go to pot.

Without thinking, I shoved myself off the ground and sprinted towards the boy. From all my encounters with giant, machine gun toting robots and giant, pointy-teethed, big-horned creatures, I had become very good at short-burst sprinting. Growling, I launched myself at the boy. My arms wrapped around his waist, and I quickly tuck-and-rolled as to prevent injuring the kid—trying and failing to suppress my inner geek that was screaming, "Do a barrel roll!" Physics dictated that if I hadn't, it was very likely _one_ of our heads would have cracked against the ground and the last thing I needed was a lawsuit.

The child didn't very much like being tackled by a strange woman and he expressed this by screaming and smacking the living daylights out of me, his wild swings connecting with the side of my head. Thankfully, it was _smacking_, not _punching_, and my dog's tail used to do more damage than the kid.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Both the boy and I stopped fighting one another to look up. Aerith stood in front of us, her hands on her hips, bending down slightly to give us _the stare_. The kind of stare reserved by mothers. Not knowing whether she was talking to me or the kid, I took no chances and released the child. He grunted when he picked himself off the ground, dusting his knees off; likewise, I dusted off my shoulder and lower back from where I had collided with the ground. I frowned when I noticed a small scrape on my elbow.

Zack took that moment to come around the corner, meaning he completely missed my epic dive.

"We got him!" He shouted happily. His tone quickly change when addressing the boy, "You sneaky little runt! Stealing from people is a—"

I gave him a stare that silently portrayed my thoughts of, "Dude, she will eat you. Don't let her little girl-y looks fool you." My stare complimented by Aerith's, "Zack…" made him change his tune.

He put his hand to his head in defeat, "…a very, very bad thing! So tell me, why did you do it?"

The boy turned away, put his hand on his hip, and replied, "It's none of your business."

"When you stole my wallet, you made it my business!" Zack exclaimed.

"You promised me a long time ago that you would never steal again," Aerith said.

So that's why she wanted to help the boy so much. It all made sense now.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" She asked.

The boy remained silent, but I could tell he was thinking about telling Aerith. Long pauses by people in situations like those usually meant there was truth to Aerith's words and the boy was ashamed because of it. She had caught him in the act.

When the boy didn't answer her, she bowed her head. I was starting to understand that whenever she did that, she was usually sad or worried about something. It didn't take me long to figure people out, thank god. If I wasn't that perceptive, my altercation with Genesis and Angeal might have turned out completely different.

"If you're in trouble, just say so," Zack said. "Now you've got Aerith all worried."

The boy frowned but answered, "My own wallet was eaten by a monster. But I have to buy medicine, and get home quickly."

"Medicine?" Zack asked.

"So," I said, "you stole Zack's wallet to be able to buy medicine for a family member, is that it?"

"I'll go get your wallet back for you," Zack said suddenly.

I looked at him like he'd lost his mind, "What?" Had he any idea what _eaten _meant? Or how to _un-eat_ things?

"Yeah, why not? He needs to get that medicine, doesn't he?"

"R-really?" The boy stuttered in his eagarness.

"Leave it to me!" Zack replied, giving that 'I'm a hero' pose of his.

"But it's dangerous," Aerith muttered.

"No worries! Monsters in this area are no match for me! Besides, if I don't do this, he's gonna have to steal again, right?"

"Ugh," I groaned. "Fine, I'll come with you."

Zack frowned, "You sure? You don't have a weapon."

"I'll be fine, Zack. I've had martial arts training, remember?"

"Then I'll help, too," Aerith added brightly.

"No," Zack and I said simultaneously. Aerith frowned.

Zack continued, "It's okay, Aerith—really we'll take care of it. You can stay here and keep that kid out of trouble."

"The monster should still be on the street that goes to the park. Here's your wallet back…"

The child handed Zack his wallet. Zack pocketed the infernal thing we had wasted our time chasing down, looked at me, and nodded. We began our journey to the Central Slums exit.

"Are you _sure_ you want to fight?" Zack asked again. "I can take care of it myself. The monsters in the Slums are child's play compared to what I'm used to fighting."

"If anything, I can watch your back," I said peevishly. "Honestly, I don't want to be left behind with Aerith." I caught Zack's look, "Don't misunderstand. She's a good girl and everything. But when she shook my hand, she seemed distracted by my bangle."

"I thought it was an armlet," Zack said offhandedly.

"It's an object that resides 24/7 on my arm, but that's not the point. I don't think she's seen Anubis but I can't take any chances. It's better if I'm not hanging around her."

"Hm," Zack nodded as we exited the Central Slums.

Almost immediately we were attack by a random man.

"Hey, you there!" He shouted at us, "Get back behind the gate right now!"

"Why?" I asked.

"Legions of monsters have appeared at the park!"

"Yes, we're going to go fight those," I replied.

"What!" The man asked, recoiling in shock, "You're talking nonsense!"

"Look—" I began but was cut off by Zack.

"I'm sorry, but those guys owe us some money," he said. "Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. You, on the other hand, should get back behind the gate."

Before the man could protest, Zack and I were jogging in the direction of the park—Zack leading the way. From my position, I could make out the obvious smile on Zack's face. I frowned.

"What?" I asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing," he replied, "I just think you've been hanging around Sephiroth too much lately."

My eyes narrowed as we slowed to a stop at the entrance of the park. He turned, saw my stare, and chuckled.

"That's why," he said grinning.

His humor was short-lived as the monsters we were to be fighting seemingly dropped from the sky. To my dismay, they were worms. Giant, fugly worms with a giant sucking-type mouth that had little teeth around it, and the more I stared at them, the more I wanted to run screaming at the top of my lungs. I _hated_ bugs. I _especially_ hated bugs that looked like they could eat me. Those bad boys definitely looked like the latter.

"Whoa…" Zack trailed off. "This must be them. The wallet must be in one of their stomachs. But that means we're gonna have to…oh, gross."

"EW!" I shrieked, unable to contain it any longer. Zack jumped a little at my sudden outburst.

"Oh, God!" I continued my tirade. "The fuck, and why! Die, you slimy piece of shit!"

With a war cry, I delivered a sideways kick to the side of one of the nasties. I flinched when my shin connected with soft, squishy flesh. The bug was knocked rolling; but, it quickly re-righted itself and started scooting towards me like a demonic caterpillar. I balked.

As fate would have it, I wasn't facing the rest of the bugs, and as Zack called out to me to, "Look out," I was shot with a very disgusting thread of some kind. It didn't take me long to figure out _I couldn't move_. Oh, shit.

Zack, learning from _my_ mistake, wasted no time in engaging the enemies—well aware to dodge the flying thread when need be. As he was preoccupied with the other two bugs, I was forced to stare at the one I had kicked previously. I couldn't move and it was steadily approaching me. If I could have cried, I would have. A sentence comprised solely of swear-words ran through my head as the creature made it within one foot of me. Even though I prayed for Zack to hurry up and finish his bugs so he could take care of _mine_, it didn't happen. The disgusting creature made it to my leg and started to try and climb it. _Do-Not-Want._

The moment the thing's mouth reached my waist, whatever had happened to me wore off. I growled, brought back my left fist, and held nothing back as I punched the fucker in the face. I immediately regretted doing so when I felt its teeth cut into my fist, but my attack still worked. The bug released me and thudded to the ground; while I jumped around like an idiot gripping my fist in pain.

"Ow," I seethed. I stomped angrily over to the bug before jumping into the air and stomping angrily _on _it.

I bounced on it a couple more times before I felt someone's arms wrap around my waist.

"Saan," Zack said, obviously struggling with me as I tried to flail. "Saan. Saan! The bug is dead!"

"No, it isn't!" I shouted as he pulled me away from the bug and plopped me down on the opposite side. "That was entirely too easy for it to be dead!"

"Well, considering you were stomping on its head…" Zack replied, looking at the motionless creature.

When I looked at it, I noticed that its head did look a little more than squished. I hmphed and folded my arms. Served it right. No bug tries to molest me and gets away with it! I looked at the bugs Zack had dispatched and frowned a little. His job seemed to be handled a lot more professionally than mine had. My frowned deepened as I thought that Zack—someone younger than I—was better at something than I was. As old feelings of envy flared up, I barely noticed that Zack had grabbed my wrist. When I felt heat on my fist, I completely noticed.

Snapping my head back to face the kid, I saw he was using Cure on my fist. I found it interesting that Cure and Life gave off warm feelings when they healed you; whereas Potions just…creepily sealed you up from the inside out and tingled. Of course, the tingling sensation could have been my nerves reconnecting for all I knew.

"You know," Zack began as he let my arm drop. "You could have activated your suit and you wouldn't have hurt yourself."

I twitched, "Sephiroth said it would creep people out, so I'm not wearing it."

He cocked his head to the side, "There's no one out here but us."

"…The thought hadn't crossed my mind. The initial shock from seeing such a disgusting sight was just too much for my brain to handle and all reason flew out the window," I replied with a sarcastic tinge to my voice, although my words were one-hundred percent true.

Zack sighed and looked back at the monsters, "I guess we'd better find that kid's wallet."

"How 'bout you do it?" I asked innocently.

"Oh, come on," Zack teased. "You can't be afraid of bugs that are dead."

"No…" I confirmed. "But I can be thoroughly disgusted with the idea of shoving my hand into said bugs' intestinal juices."

Zack made a face, "Did you have to word it like that?"

"Yes," I deadpanned.

Zack stepped over to the dead carcasses of the bugs and bent down to inspect them. He was trying to figure out which one would have the wallet inside it so that he didn't have to search through all of them. That would have been extremely disgusting. So disgusting, that just thinking about it made me want to get the hell out of there. Which is what I did.

"Look, Zack," I said already walking away, "I hope you have fun with that and everything, but I'm gonna go. Sephiroth's probably pissed at me because I'm not back yet and, personally, I don't wanna see this." I motioned "this" with my hands.

"Alright," Zack replied about to get down to business. "Just make sure you tell Aerith I'll be on my way soon. She might freak out if only one of us comes back."

I turned and jogged back towards the Central Slums. The last thing I wanted to hear was a sword chopping through things. He did have a point about Aerith, though. The poor dear was a worry wart when it came to people's well-being, it seemed. I guessed Zack hadn't told her he was in SOLDIER, so she didn't know we were able to handle situations the Average Joe couldn't. Well, Zack could handle tougher situations… I was more of the Above-Average Joe. Experience was the only thing going for me; experience on how _not_ to die.

When I made it back to the Central Slums, Aerith wasted no time in asking me where Zack was.

"Where's Zack?"

See?

"He's currently retrieving _your_," I glanced at the kid standing beside Aerith, "wallet. Since he has a sword and all I have are my hands, I figured it best if he were the one to do the honors of removing the object out of the monster."

Both Aerith and the kid made faces of disgust. Point one for the Saan.

"Don't worry," I continued as I moved in the direction of the train platform, "he's perfectly fine. If anything, I was probably more traumatized by the encounter than he was."

"Are you going?" Aerith asked.

I paused and looked at her, "My manager's probably really pissed at me for staying gone for so long, so I have to get back to the Plate. That's what happens when you have a job."

"So, you work with Zack?" Aerith asked, cocking her head to the side.

I twitched. Was she ever going to let me leave? Honestly, the girl was too curious for her own good. I had to be stealthy about my answer. If Zack told Aerith later that he worked with SOLDIER and I had already said I worked with him, two plus two is four. But, half-truths were always the most believable.

"We work in the same building," I replied. I turned, saying as I left, "Have a nice day!"

Luckily, I had satiated Aerith's questions, for she did not call me back anymore. I could only imagine what Sephiroth and Lazard had in store for me when I returned to the Shin-Ra building. Lazard I wasn't really worried about; he very rarely gave lectures. Sephiroth, on the other hand… It wasn't so much what he said but the way he looked at you. Like he could bore a hole right into your soul, or something.

—**FFVII—**

When I returned to the Shin-Ra building, I was surprised to see that the hole where Genesis' gang had busted through was 'healing' pretty well. The construction crew—God only knew where they had come from—had set up shop with scaffolding, measuring tapes, and hard hats. The glass makers in Midgar were going to have a cow when they got their next order in.

I guessed that the president wasted no time in making his precious babies look good for the rest of the world. The thought made me smirk a little, recalling his precious, pampered son Rufus. I briefly wondered what would happen if I told Rufus his name was shared with a naked mole rat. He probably didn't even know what a naked mole rat was…but, Gaia did have normal rats, so maybe he would figure it out.

I passed through the hole without much difficulty. Luckily, Ledi was there to force me to show my I.D. and all was good. The floor was already cleaned of the bodies and blood from Zack's and my previous battle. Okay, so it was more Zack's battle than mine, but I felt pretty damn good with myself for bringing that guy back to life. Next all I needed to do was learn to walk on water. God complex, much? Or was that a Jesus complex?

Arriving in Lazard's office, I forced my mischievous side to the back of my mind in a futile attempt to be serious for the situation at hand. Tried, mind you. Lazard was in his normal spot at his desk, typing something away on his computer with a frown that was bound to cause wrinkles. Sephiroth was nowhere to be found and I worried that he hadn't returned at all. But, when I saw that my staff box was over by the wall, leaning against it idly, I figured he'd returned after all, and just ran off somewhere else. It was always a mystery as to whether Sephiroth was always working or always trying to avoid everyone. It was probably a little bit of both.

Lazard finally spotted me when I went to retrieve my weapon. He looked up from his computer, frown lessening from intense concentration to slight concern.

"What's the situation on Zack?" He asked.

I grabbed the box and proceeded to open it, silently cursing Sephiroth for closing it in the first place, "He's fine. He's currently in the Sector 5 Slums with some girl named Aerith."

"Aerith?"

"Yeah," I replied, activating my suit, "He fell into a church, apparently, and Aerith just happened to be there. She woke him up. At least, that's what he told me. I gotta admit, until I joined SOLDIER, I'd never dreamed someone could fall that far, crash through a building, and live."

Turning back to face Lazard, I saw the frown still hadn't left his face as he stared off at the wall. That caused me to frown. Like yawns, they seemed contagious.

"What?" I asked.

"He shouldn't be wasting his time like that," Lazard replied gruffly.

"In his defense," I said, "when he tried to reach the train station, his wallet was stolen and we spent a lot of time trying to hunt the kid down. He was pretty crafty for a middle schooler."

"Where is he now?"

"Where is Sephiroth now?"

Lazard sighed as he pushed himself out of his chair to walk around, "Sephiroth is at least in the building. Anubis, I understand you're trying to stick up for Zack, but he's needed here. We've lost track of Genesis and Angeal, and I have a feeling they're not finished today."

I blinked in confusion, "Why not?"

"Because—"

I jumped at Sephiroth's voice. Feeling something brush against the side of my head, I flinched and turned to glare at him. Between his fingers was the Genesis feather I had snatched. I had totally forgotten it was there. It was surprising that it didn't fall out when I tackled that kid.

Twirling the feather in his fingers he continued, "—someone gave Genesis an idea."

I recalled the little lecture I had given him. He didn't mean that Genesis was actually going to do what I had proposed, did he? I blanched at the thought.

"If Genesis is working with Hollander, there's no telling what the scientist has told him to do," Lazard said.

Oh, thank god. I let out the breath I'd been holding. Glaring at Sephiroth, I jumped forwards and snatched the feather out of his hand. He merely raised his eyebrows curiously. "I like feathers," I mouthed. It was the honest truth. I wasn't keeping the feather because it was Genesis', but ever since I was a kid, I'd always tried collecting them. It drove me insane whenever my great-grandmother would find them and throw them away, claiming they were dirty. I didn't care, I wanted my damn feathers!

"His first attack was sloppy and failed," Lazard continued, ignoring mine and Sephiroth's antics, "He won't make the same mistake again."

"So," I took a gander, "he'll probably sneak in or something? Or wait till the last second to attack up close and personal."

"Possibly," Sephiroth threw in. "He definitely won't be attacking from the front again."

"The construction workers are glad to hear it," I joked.

"If, and when, Genesis attacks, I expect you two to protect the employees of this building as best you can," Lazard said as he walked back towards his desk. "Damage to the building can be repaired; lives lost are not so easily fixable."

"I don't know," I replied. "I did a fine job of it downstairs before we left after Genesis this morning."

Lazard blinked in surprise, "You were able to use the Life spell?"

"She's also able to cast Thundaga, if you recall," Sephiroth muttered. He'd taken up his usual position beside the wall, arms crossed.

"Oh, yes," Lazard replied as he sat, "Life does cost less magic than Thundaga, doesn't it?"

I frowned a little. Human life wasn't that big of cost, eh? How disturbing.

"I wouldn't rely too much on Life, Anubis," Sephiroth said suddenly. He looked at me, "Life is a tricky spell. For some reason, it only works on certain people. My guess is there's a time limit to how long you have to bring someone back. You got lucky today."

My jaw tightened. Great, and here I'd thought I'd done something epic. Turns out, I was just lucky and that guy hadn't been dead very long. If I wanted to be spiritual, I would say that meant his spirit hadn't left him yet. Just bringing people back from the dead—of course it wasn't that simple.

"Yeah, well…" I trailed off. Shaking my head, I decided they should know my shortcoming, "I hate to inform ya'll, but I ran out of magic a long time ago. In the event that Genesis attacks, I won't be able to do that much."

Sephiroth and Lazard both gave me a look. It was a look that made me think I'd missed something, and they pitied me for it. A line flashed through my head: "You are a sad, strange little man, andyouhavemypity." Curse Ashi and her _Toy Story _fetish!

"You haven't used an ether, yet?" Lazard asked.

"A what?" I asked. Their looks only grew worse. "What! I led a sheltered life!"

"Apparently," Sephiroth smirked. "An ether is similar to a potion; only it restores one's magic, instead of one's self."

Funny, I recalled ether being a type of drug they used back in the old days to knock people out. They abandoned the practice for better, nonflammable substances. With that running through my head, there was no way in hell I was going to drink that crap. Even if it wasn't the same type of ether.

"Eh," I hesitated. "I think I'll just crash on the couch outside the door," I jerked my thumb back towards the entrance.

Lazard frowned, "I'd prefer if you didn't. There are beds upstairs if you're tired."

"I'd rather crash on the couch, thank you," I replied as I turned and began to leave, "I don't like the idea of strange people watching me sleep."

The door swished open for me, and then swished closed when I stepped out of its range. If only the doors back on Earth were so reliable. I'd heard tales of people walking, assuming the door would open, only to crash face first into it because they were texting instead of paying attention to where they were going. And it was always fun to stand in front of the doors at Wal-Mart because they would slide open and shut until you moved. Shin-Ra's doors were smarter than that; they stayed open until you moved.

Finding a position to sleep in with a metal body suit was a little difficult, especially when said suit had two projections coming out the top of the helmet. I wanted to remove it, but I knew Lazard might stab me with a pencil if I wasn't in my Anubis suit on a SOLDIER related floor again; and, removing the helmet itself would still give me away. As I settled in, my head propped up on the arm of the couch, I realized the feather was still in my hand. Sighing, I powered my suit down just long enough to shove the thing in my side pocket before re-activating the suit. The suit was becoming way too much of a hassle, what with my random bouts of forgetfulness.

—**FFVII—**

_Ka-boom_ is not a sound to wake up to. Especially when you know that that particular _ka-boom _was not the sound of thunder, but the sound of a thunderous explosion. I opened my eyes slowly, resisting the urge to growl. I had been sleeping so peacefully before Genesis had to go and blow something up. Pushing myself up, I saw Sephiroth come darting out of Lazard's office.

"Where's the fire?"I asked as I picked my staff off the ground and stood up.

Sephiroth turned to face me with a grim look, "Genesis is targeting the floors above this one. Clones are pouring in from the holes the explosions caused."

"Explosions?" I asked as I walked to him.

"Simultaneous explosions. By attacking multiple points at the same time, he's managed to throw our forces off and made it more difficult for personnel to escape."

"He's good," I mumbled. I tilted my head back, "You sure he's the one that thought of that?"

Sephiroth didn't reply, but he seemed to be thinking it over. He blinked, snapping out of his thoughts, "We're wasting time. Contact Zack while I make a sweep of the area."

"Better idea," I said quickly, catching him as he was about to walk off, "you call Zack and I make a sweep of the area. You have a better, 'Get your ass down here,' voice than I do."

"You sure you can handle it?" Sephiroth asked as I walked past him, heading towards the hallway.

Looking at the tip of my staff, I let little sparks of Thunder dance around the prongs, "Yep. I'll be peachy keen."

"I'll join you shortly," Sephiroth replied.

No enemies awaited me on Lazard's floor—Floor 51—and for a few other floors, it was still fine; however, the smell of smoke and burning got stronger. When I hit low 60s, the Clones made themselves known. Their actions were anything but coordinated; they simply attacked anything that moved. When I exited the staircase, I moved, so they came after me. I snorted and prepared myself.

Though these particular Genesis clones had wings, I showed them no pity—for I fight for my friends—and when the first of a group of three tried to slash at me, I sidestepped and stabbed him in the back with my diamond. Wrenching my staff out of his body, I gripped a strong hold on my staff, swung the head of the staff down-and-around for momentum, and made sure the prongs connected with the chest of another Clone.

I cringed a little at the feeling the staff made when moving through flesh and against bone. Not wasting any time on thinking about how disgusting that was, I turned my attention to the last clone. He'd wised up when I took out his two buddies and was stalking around the area, watching me carefully. I stepped around the bodies of his comrades, thinking of my next move.

It didn't appear that the Clone was going to make the first move, so I obliged. With a cry, I lunged towards him, extending my staff towards him. He fell for my feint, ducked underneath my staff, and attempted to come up from underneath, bringing his blades towards my face. I quickly crouched, shot my leg out, and spun, catching his legs. With a grunt, he collided to the ground on his back. Quickly, I slammed my foot down on his neck to prevent him from moving and pointed the head of my staff at his face.

"I really have no intention of killing you guys," I said blankly.

The man struggled with my leg, grasping and clawing at the metal incasing it; not once trying to say anything. I frowned. Ordinary people would have been begging for their life by then. My heart skipped a beat when I heard the familiar sound of a sword slicing into flesh—the Clone's hands dropped lifelessly to the floor. I cut my eyes to the side to see Sephiroth's sword sticking out of the man's chest. It rose effortlessly out of the lifeless body. My heart was beating a mile a minute.

"We really need to put a bell on you," I said weakly, looking back at the General.

"They're not human anymore," Sephiroth said, ignoring my comment as he started walking towards the main body of the floor. "Don't take any pity on them by believing otherwise."

I sighed, trying to calm myself down. Looking at his sword, I noticed he hadn't bothered to clean it off. Then again, people usually only did that when they put the swords back in their sheaths. At least, that's how the people in the movies always did it. However, Sephiroth's sword didn't have a sheath, and for good reason. Placing my staff behind my neck, letting it rest on my shoulders, I followed after him.

"You know," I began conversationally. "I always wondered what the deal was with your sword."

Sephiroth actually took the time to pause in his step to turn and stare at me. I had a good clue as to what he thought I was going to say, but I really wasn't going to mention overcompensating. I wasn't. Really.

"It's very _long_," I continued, still walking towards him. "How can you use it so effortlessly? I would be slicing tons of crap accidently if I had to wield the thing."

"I've trained with it for years," Sephiroth replied, seemingly relieved that he wouldn't have to kill me. He turned and continued on his way—I'd caught up with him by then.

"Does it have a name?" I asked innocently as we reached the center of the floor—many rooms branched off on either side, and since those rooms were full of boxes, I didn't figure any enemies would waste their time coming that far onto the floor.

"Why are you suddenly so interested in my sword?" Sephiroth asked, looking around briefly. It didn't take him long to suspect there were no other enemies, and so he began walking back the way we came, towards the stairs.

"Since you slammed it into a man's chest mere inches away from my leg and nearly gave me a heart attack."

Sephiroth sighed, but chose to humor me, "Masamune."

I blinked, "As in the legendary holy sword that can repel leaves from its blade so as not to cut them; or refuses to cut them because it can distinguish between what's innocent and what isn't?"

"…I have no idea what you're talking about."

"My mistake, then," I muttered, glancing down at the sword with a strong desire to steal it growing with each passing second. Japanese culture I was a sucker for.

Floors 64 through 66 contained many Clones, but luckily, Sephiroth didn't seem to be in a happy mood and just kind of…torched them all while I stood back and watched. Occasionally I would have to smack or stab something, but it was a rare occurrence. I didn't feel like using my magic for the simple reason that I didn't want to have to drink an ether. Potions were nasty enough; I could only imagine what an ether tasted like. Plus, I was still imagining myself taking a swig and immediately falling out in the floor.

When we reached Floor 67, I remembered just exactly where I was. I was in the same place Ronnie and I had been brought for our first night in Midgar. My face contorted in disgust and, had Sephiroth been looking in my direction and not slicing a random Clone, he might have actually laughed at something for once in his life. Because I was too busy making faces at memories, I failed to notice the Clone that had appeared behind me. I did notice it, however, when Sephiroth turned on—what I thought was me—and fired a shot of Thunder that went streaking by my head, little hairs raising on the side of my face, to explode on aforementioned Clone behind me.

"Will you stop that!" I finally snapped. "I am sick and tired of you scaring me half to death! I don't care _if_ you know you won't hit me and will hit the other guy. I _don't_! Augh!"

Before Sephiroth could respond, a strange sight appeared outside the giant hole in the side of the building that was neither a bird nor a plane, but was, in fact, Angeal. And lo-and-behold, he had Zack with him! Well, that was one way of getting to the 67th floor of the Shin-Ra building.

Angeal flew through the hole, plopped Zack down, and then landed himself.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Zack said.

"You're late," Sephiroth replied.

"Sephiroth, have you lost weight?" Angeal asked, obviously teasing him. I snickered despite myself.

Sadly, Sephiroth was in no mood for games. He bowed his head and "humph"ed.

Angeal put his hand to his mouth, "On to business. It is safe to assume Hollander has ordered Genesis to eliminate Hojo."

"Hojo," Zack asked, "the director of the Science Department?"

"The one and only," I muttered darkly.

"Yes," Angeal replied. "He believes Hojo robbed him of his rightful position."

"Then they'll be targeting the Science Department floor upstairs," Zack said.

"Forget about Hojo," Sephiroth said bitterly. He turned and began to walk away. I didn't blame him.

"You're in your usual mood, I see," Angeal remarked. "Sephiroth, take the floors below. I'll handle things outside. Zack, you and your friend—" he nodded at me "—go up. Hojo will be your responsibility."

"Understood!" Zack nodded, then looked at me and motioned for me to follow him, "Come on, Anubis."

"Woof!" I replied, bounding after him.

I didn't particularly care for watching over Hojo. However, I figured that, should Genesis arrive, I would _accidently_ let him tear Hojo to shreds. And I wasn't going to miss that show for the world. When we rounded the corner near the area of the cells, Zack slowed and spoke.

"Right now," he began, "I have no idea what Angeal is up to, or what he's thinking. But we're fighting side by side again, and that's good enough for me."

"Then it's good enough for me," I replied. When he looked at me, I continued, "I still don't understand the deal between you and Angeal, but I'm guessing it's kinda like me and Ronnie. Even the best of friends have fights sometimes, and I'm sure if he really cared about you he wouldn't do anything to harm you. So, if you're not worried, I'm not. If you're happy about him helping you out, then I am, too."

Zack smiled knowingly, "You're doing that kind thing again."

"Ssh!" I hissed. "You're the only one privy to that information."

"All right," Zack replied, getting down to business, "the Science Department is down this way."

It wasn't too long ago that I was forced to visit Hojo's lab every week for tests on the suit; yet, when I made First, I was sure I would never have to go back. Apparently, Fate liked making my life a living hell by forcing me to do otherwise. Sure, I could have gone after Sephiroth instead of Zack; but, Life made me the type of person that enjoyed seeing Hojo go through pain, and Fate conspired with Life to make my demented ass follow after Zack. Damn them.

When we entered the lab, no one was to be found. Shockingly, no experiments were in the Sample Tank to the left, either. I didn't know if that meant Hojo had it moved so Genesis wouldn't injure his precious specimen, or if Hojo had already disposed of it. I'd never actually seen one of his experiments or specimens in person during my trips to the lab, but he seemed like the type of scientist that _always_ had his hands in something, or someone.

Not finding Hojo on the 67th floor, Zack and I walked to the old-timey looking elevator to get to the 68th floor—the main portion of the laboratory. Sure enough, waiting for us after we exited the elevator was the creepy-ass scientist. He was holding a clipboard in front of the console that, more than likely, controlled the second Sample Tank across from it. He didn't seem too concerned by the threat Genesis imposed. I knew he wasn't ignorant of his situation; he was a scientist after all. He was smart.

"Professor…?" Zack asked, walking towards Hojo. I also approached the scientist—slowly and staying very far away. Zack said, relieved, "Ah, you're safe."

"Ssh!" Hojo replied, "Please, be more quiet…"

Oh, boy, that was a voice I did _not_ miss. Even if I had met the man under different circumstances, his voice alone would have made me want to kill him.

Hojo's rude behavior did not perturb Zack, "The building is under attack by the Genesis army. They may be after you, Professor Hojo."

"And you're my protection?" Hojo asked, completely unsure of Zack's ability to do so. Hojo probably thought the only people in existence worth mentioning were himself and Sephiroth.

"In any case," Zack replied, trying not to let the scientist get to him, "we have to evacuate. Will you come with me?"

Hojo let off one of his signature laughs, "Degrading monsters are nothing to fear."

I had to restrain myself from chuckling evilly. The man's arrogance was going to get him killed. I awaited the day.

"Are you talking about Genesis…?"

Hojo finally turned his body to face Zack, "Indeed. A memento from an unenlightened era, when men could deem any unclassified life form an Ancient."

"Unclassified life form?"

"JENOVA, the calamity that fell from the sky."

"Uh…" Zack trailed off, confused.

"Your ignorance is of no consequence," Hojo replied.

Zack may have been ignorant, but my blood had stilled when he mentioned Ancients. Hojo had let slip long ago, in front of me and the president, what Jenova was. He had called it an Ancient back then. Now, he was claiming it wasn't. A calamity that fell from the sky, whose DNA now resided within Genesis and Angeal, giving them the ability to pass their genes onto others in the form of cloning. I nibbled nervously on my lip as my thoughts continued down their dark path.

Jenova, sky, DNA, replication, Genesis and Angeal, Sephiroth. Jenova was most likely an alien life form. I was an alien life form, too, I supposed. But, I couldn't make people turn into cloning machines with a simple strand of my DNA. Conclusion: The government on Gaia was using alien powers to further their military. If that were true, I was in dipper shit than I thought I was—and right smack-dab in the middle of it, too.

"SOLDIER's duty is not to think—it is to protect men who think for them, like me," Hojo finished.

I had to bite my tongue to keep from screaming at the greasy-headed scientist. Men who think for them, my ass! Hojo didn't have a say in SOLDIER! He might have a hand in it via the Mako, and possibly Jenova cells, but that was it. He didn't _think_ for SOLDIER, that was Lazard's job. And he did a very good job of it, too, I might add.

Zack and I waited aimlessly for a few minutes after that. Both of us paced around the room idly, waiting for something to happen. I realized pretty quickly that Hojo was avoiding looking at me. It was probably his way of getting back at me. He probably thought that if he ignored my existence, I'd be pissed off at him, and he would have revenge for Shin-Ra taking away his experiment. Sadly for him, I was glad he didn't look at me. I felt like his gaze only tainted me, and I might accidently go Hulk on his ass. Eventually, Hojo got tired of us pacing.

"It appears you two are not keeping very busy," he snapped.

"I wouldn't say that, but…" Zack muttered.

"I'm keeping very busy by not keeping very busy," I grinned at Hojo sardonically.

"Did you not say I may have unwanted company?" Hojo asked, again, ignoring me, "Are you prepared to defend this brilliant mind with your life?"

"Brilliant mind, indeed," I snorted, muttering under my breath. "More like demented."

"Of course we're prepared! Right, Anubis?" Zack exclaimed proudly. I opened my mouth to say something, but Zack continued right along, "'Come and get it' is what I say!"

I pursed my lips in annoyance, but I knew Zack was raring to go and I couldn't hold him cutting me off against him. I wouldn't have said anything interesting, anyway. Zack walked towards the Sample Tank as Hojo repositioned himself in front of the console.

"I'll show them the power of a next-generation SOLDIER First Class!"

"Heh heh heh," Hojo chuckled. "Most encouraging. I won't abide any losses to some second-rate scientist's creation. Hm…?"

I was grinning like a cat when Hojo finally realized there was another person in the room. I had seen Genesis' enter the room from a door directly behind Hojo long before the scientist had stopped talking. We'd made eye contact, or more like _I'd_ made eye contact, and when I made no move to stop him, he made no signs of caring I was there. Besides, I was standing towards Hojo's right and off a little ways. Genesis would have reached Hojo before I could even take two steps.

"Well," Hojo almost purred, "look who's here!"

Genesis lowered his head and smiled before raising his sword, pointing it at the back of Hojo's head.

Hojo simply pushed his glasses up, "Hollander sent you, correct? You think if you obey Hollander, he'll stop your body from degrading, is that it? Pitiful…just pitiful, I say."

The scientist gripped the bridge of his nose and shook his head in mock pity. Zack finally realized Hojo wasn't talking to me nor himself, spun around in shock, and jogged towards Genesis.

"Genesis," He said, pointing his own sword in Genesis' face.

I frowned. That wasn't going to do. I walked briskly towards Hojo and pointed my staff's prongs at the side of his face. I saw him glance over in my direction, a bit of a frown dancing across his features.

"Anubis!" Zack shouted.

"What?" I asked innocently. "I hate the man. I'm with Genesis on this one."

Genesis gave me a look as Zack sighed in exasperation. Hojo started laughing again.

"A second-rate hack like Hollander couldn't cure a cold!" He exclaimed.

"Genesis, that's enough!"

I jumped when I heard Angeal's voice. Snapping my head around, I noticed he'd come in from yet _another_ random door and was standing a little ways back and in-between Genesis and me. He gave me a brief, confused look but said nothing. He probably thought he didn't know me well enough to tell me to stand down; and, he didn't know why I was pointing a weapon at Hojo's face.

"Ah, what do we have here?" Hojo asked.

Both Genesis and Zack lowered their weapons. I hesitated to drop mine. I glared at Hojo, and the look he gave me in return made me suspect that he knew I was none too pleased with the prospect of letting him get away unscathed. However, I was outvoted, so I wound up lowering mine, as well.

"'My friend, the fates are cruel'," Genesis began reciting, "'There are no dreams, no honor remains. The arrow has left the bow of the goddess.'"

"The entire cast of Hollander's freak show," Hojo mused.

"Shut up, you!" Zack snapped. I didn't know the boy had it in him.

"_LOVELESS_ Act IV," Genesis said.

"Where the two friends challenge each other to a duel," Hojo commented, still refusing to look at the gang.

All of us looked to him in surprised. I was shocked he knew what they were talking about; they were probably shocked he'd read or seen _LOVELESS_. Mine was a broader spectrum of shock, in that case.

"An ancient epic," Hojo continued. "I read it thinking it might aid my research, but…pure drivel." He shook his head.

"How does the duel end?" Angeal asked.

"Unknown," Hojo replied. "The last act is missing, and yet to be discovered."

Genesis walked towards the Sample Tank, "There are various theories."

I blinked when he summoned Fire in his left hand. He smiled that smug smile of his, turned, and blasted the tank apart. I flinched a little from the resulting shockwave of air and was quite thankful to my suit; although none of the shattered glass pieces made it to me, if they had, I would have been protected. When the air cleared, I saw that, not only had Genesis blown up the tank, but he'd exploded the wall behind it, too. The construction workers were not going to be happy about that one.

"The mysterious gift of the goddess…" Genesis said, turning and facing us again, "What is the meaning behind it? For us, at least."

He turned and walked forward a bit, before stretching his wing and flying out the hole. Wind rushed past me as Angeal flew past.

"Hold it, Genesis!" Zack shouted, chasing after him.

Angeal scooped the kid up from his waist and flew after his friend. I swore to myself and took off towards the elevator. I didn't care about leaving Hojo. With Genesis and Angeal out of the building, he was most likely safe, unfortunately. The only thing I cared about was seeing just where the hell the SOLDIER angels took off to. I needed a floor with a lot of windows, and if memory served, Floor 61 was my best bet. It gave a damn near panoramic view of the outside city of Midgar.

When I got to the staircases, I took the stairs two at a time. I'd never attempted that feat before and nearly killed myself on more than one occasion, but I made it to Floor 61 while managing to avoid any heart attacks or broken bones. Running to the center of the room, I stopped near the tree and spun in circles to try and pinpoint their location. A flash of light out of the corner of my eye showed me the way.

I turned my head in the direction of the light and ran towards the windows. It wasn't just a light, I noticed as I approached, but a giant light-circle. Whatever it was, it was floating above one of the nearby heli-pads.

"What is it," I hissed, catching myself before I speared my snout on the window. Why my visor never recognized the snout, I didn't know, but I really wished it did.

"A summon circle," Sephiroth's voice sounded from a few feet behind me.

I squinted as I stared off in the direction of the light-circle—it was fading.

"So, I'm guessing there's going to be a giant monster to appear now," I muttered.

"Yes. Genesis is probably the one that summoned it," Sephiroth replied, he was beside me at that point.

"That means Zack's going to have to fight it," I frowned as a strange, golden, shimmering light started dancing in the air around the heli-pad. "Can he handle that kind of thing?"

"It depends on what monster's been summoned. He _has_ improved since his encounter with Ifrit and Bahamut, though," Sephiroth replied.

I looked at his reflection in the glass, "Ifrit?"

"A fire summon. Though powerful in its own right, it is one of the weaker summons."

I nodded, focusing my eyes back on the ever increasing golden light. They widened when what appeared to be a giant blade penetrated the very fabric of space. Nothing like that had ever happened on Earth before. Of course, Earth hadn't had magic either. Not like Gaia's magic, anyway.

The blade moved up, cutting through space, before—in a blinding flash—a golden, metallic dragon exploded into existence. My jaw dropped. However, I didn't get to see what happened next because an annoying bubble-thing covered the area around the heli-pad.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Sephiroth asked, obviously having seen my jaw drop. "This will be the strongest opponent he's faced."

"Will he live?" I asked.

"If he doesn't get distracted," Sephiroth replied.

"Oh hoho, boy…" I turned to look at the General, "What summon was that one?"

"I'm not completely sure," he frowned, "but it's most definitely a strain of Bahamut."

I nodded. So, Bahamuts were dragons. Ifrit was a fire creature of some kind. I wondered how many summons existed, and how much magic it cost to cast one. Did they obey the wills of the casters, or did they simply attack the first thing they laid eyes on—making you have to point the summon in the right direction for fear of destroying yourself?

"Can I have a summon?" I asked.

Sephiroth looked at me for a while, contemplating before he said, "You're not ready."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "When will I be ready?"

"Hm. I wonder," was his answer. He turned and began to walk away, towards the staircases.

"Oi," I called after him. When he didn't answer, I followed. I couldn't see Zack anymore, so I figured it pointless to watch his battle with the Bahamut. "What do you mean, 'you wonder?' I want a kick ass creature, too, you know."

"Where would you keep it?" He asked, looking over his shoulder as he continued to walk. "You only have three materia slots, and those are taken."

Tch. He was right. I only had three slots: Thunder, Cure, and a random one that really didn't do anything. I sighed, placing my staff on my shoulders and behind my neck. Kick ass creatures were going to have to wait, then.

**A/N: Another funny thing. I call Sector 6 a little Las Vegas, and that's where we met Reno... Hurrrr. DerpDerp. I like manipulating conversations and scenarios to include Saan, without changing much of the base material. It's fun, like a puzzle.**

**I don't hate children. I don't. But if one does something like THAT...they're not going to get away with it. Do you like how I WAY SHORTENED that part of the game? ...that's because I HATE IT. I ALWAYS and WITHOUT FAIL get tricked by EVERYBODY. -grumbles- Fourth time through it, you'd think I'd catch on...but, nooooo. There are no redeemable people in the Central Slums! -fumes-**

**'"Hmm…" I hummed, thinking thoughtful thoughts' This was also a slip-up by my brain. I was accidently about to type, "Thinking thoughtfully" and then caught myself all, "...As opposed to thinking dumbly, oh yes." So, I just ran with it. Half my humor is simple slip-ups. The other half I'm actually trying to be funny.**

**In FFVII, I don't remember Floor 61 having windows. I just remember the giant tree. However, since the SOLDIER floor has lots of windows, and so does the President's office, why wouldn't a giant, mostly empty, employee break room have lotsa windows to calm one's nerves? My logic is flawless!**

**Ashi: -about Saan's fans- Why do they sound like Bullwinkle?**

**I can explain! I was trying to tell her and Ronnie what ya'll say in your reviews and whenever I would speak as a fan, for some reason, I would slip into a voice that (apparently) sounded like Bullwinkle. ...or like Tristen from Yu-Gi-Oh! Abriged. You know, the whole, "My voice gives me super strength!" guy. -nod- I'm not making fun of you, I swear!**

**hitsuki_sasaki_1: Why does 'Sephiroth sword' get more images than 'Masamune' ?  
Ashi: Because nobody knows it's name.  
hitsuki_sasaki_1: BLASPHEMY**

**I'm not just a Sephiroth fan...I'm a MASAMUNE fan. Scarily so. I know it's not normal when you chuckle with glee and grin like the Cheshire Cat when you hear the Masamune make ringing noises whenever its swung. It literally sings through the air!**

**Also, double kudos to Risikaa for her insightful help with Saan's suit, its origins, and a lot of other stuff that helped me along the way. Shameless promotion: Read her fic **_**Once Again**_**. It takes place after DoC. Do it. Do it nao!**

**Guess what, guys. CLOUD SHOWS UP NEXT...I think. With the helicopter crash. Hur hur, guess who's going to be on the chopper? ...GET TO DA CHOPPA! -cough- I'm in a good mood. Watch that not be the next chapter and me feel like a big fucking idiot.**

_**Edit: They just keep getting longer. More spelling issues. And Risikaa becomes very, very helpful from here on out.**_


	18. Successor

**A/N:** **Moo wif meh! Today is Sunday at 3:53 P.M.; I am beginning the chapter. I'm going to see just how many days it takes me to write something when I'm not stalling (Sims, Missions in CC, CC Parodies) and stuff. In Chapter 16—Friendship—I made a typo and said that Zack and Sephiroth were my "closet friends." Risikaa, Ronnie, and I found that very humorous and since then Risikaa has volunteered to beta my chapters. Hopefully, those mistakes will never happen again. Surely she can catch magical reappearing cell phones.**

**Kudos: DreylEn (with an E), Mooncry, Risikaa, and StrawberryPencil.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I do however own this plot, Saan, Ronnie, and an extensive knowledge of helicopters…because I Googled them back when Saan was a Turk and watched many Youtube videos of them. Eh-heh;;**

_**Edited on 19 October 2010 for errors and goofs. My internet just randomly disconnected. Hm. Continued editing on 1 November 2010. Hur hur, got caught up in Pokemon. **_

Zack's fight with Bahamut Fury five months ago ended with Zack as the winner. He'd told me a little bit about it; how it usually attacked by slicing at him, the wind knocking him back, how it would send giant fireballs at him, and even shoot pieces of its wings that were bigger than he was at him. When I brought up that I couldn't see what was happening because of a bubble that seemingly encased the creature and himself, Zack informed me that sometimes summons did that to prevent anything outside of the target from being destroyed. I found that information interesting; it meant that summons were sentient creatures, different than the monsters on Gaia.

Zack also informed me that after the fight had finished Genesis and Angeal were nowhere to be found. I knew he wasn't too happy about that, Angeal being his friend and all; however, I knew Shin-Ra would be the most upset. Genesis had attacked the building not once, but twice, and the Company would not stand for such actions. If there had been any hesitation in the order to eliminate him and Angeal, there definitely wasn't after his little stunt. I also knew that, with Genesis and Angeal being SOLDIER, SOLDIER would be held responsible, and the gavel would come down hard on Lazard.

Those thoughts weren't the only ones that worried me. I still hadn't gotten over Shin-Ra's experiments. I was constantly thinking of Project G and Jenova cells and what role they played in the grand scheme of things. It was then that I came to terms with the fact that there even was a grand scheme. I always had suspicions that Shin-Ra was shady and corrupt, but it wasn't until recently that I could see just how dark it was. Alien life forms powering a military was beyond a government conspiracy.

Foreign DNA combined with any original source of DNA never carried good consequences; and with the presence of something called Mako, God only knew what could happen. I knew ordinary SOLDIERS were injected with Mako to make them stronger, but was there a possibility that Jenova cells were also placed inside them? Maybe, maybe not; but, I couldn't forget the time Hojo said he had had another way of making me stronger than just Mako. Could he have meant Jenova cells? I was foreign enough to the planet, the last thing I needed was foreign DNA in me. Two doses of foreign couldn't be good for Gaia.

That line of thinking made me think about Jenova's origins. Where it had come from, what happened when it got there, where it was currently, all those questions and more ran through my head in the span of seconds multiple times a day. And, of course, there was always, "What would have happened if it had fallen on Earth?" If only I had been born as innocent and naïve as Zack I wouldn't have had so much stress on my plate.

Speaking of the bounding puppy, he was standing by the window with his phone up to his ear when I approached him from behind. I hadn't been in the Shin-Ra building long, but I immediately went to the SOLDIER floor upon arrival. Very rarely did I ever stray from Floor Forty-Nine, and I'd only recently found out that SOLDIERs were supposed to stay confined on floors one, two, forty-nine, and fifty-one.

Oops was my only reaction to that piece of knowledge, but I didn't particularly care if I broke any of Shin-Ra's rules or not. Any bit of trouble I could give them was well deserved. Sometimes I wondered why I didn't just quit, since Shin-Ra gave me such grief; but then I remembered I had nothing better to do with my life… Such a pitiful existence, if I do say so myself.

"Come on, pick up!" Zack growled before slapping his phone shut and pocketing it.

I came to stand beside a random SOLDIER Second Class—I could tell by his hideously purple outfit—and merely observed Zack's little fit. When he turned around, he was a little surprised by my random appearance, but did nothing more than blink. Poo, I was hoping for a startled jump. At least an exclamation of some kind.

"Who are you trying to call?" The kid to my right asked.

"Sephiroth," Zack replied, "I haven't been able to reach him in ages." Zack looked at me, "What about you, Anubis?"

I shrugged, "I haven't been trying to reach him."

"Haven't you heard?" the kid asked, "Mr. Sephiroth has shut himself inside the data room and hasn't come out. Handsets are prohibited in the data room, so there's not much you can do."

I finally snickered, unable to contain it any longer. Both boys looked at me.

"He said 'mister,' haha," I grinned.

"Well, he is older than me, Ma'am," the boy replied.

My jaw dropped as I looked over at him, "You called me ma'am!"

Zack frowned, trying his best to ignore us, "Data room?"

"He is apparently researching the history of the Shin-Ra Science Department," the kid replied.

I suppressed my urge to whimper. I still had my suspicions when it came to Sephiroth's origins, and if my hunches were correct, I _really_ didn't want him finding out by himself. If the way Genesis behaved was a clue, Lord help them when Sephiroth found out. That was, of course, if I was right about him being a freak of nature. Not that him being a freak of nature would make me not like him, or anything. Regardless, Sephiroth was still Sephiroth.

"Oh…" Zack mumbled. He jumped a little when his phone went off, and without even checking the caller I.D., he opened it and put it to his ear, "Aerith, what's up?"

"It's creepy how he automatically knew it was her," I mumbled.

"He's probably been waiting on that call for a while now," the kid whispered beside me. "He's a bit of a lady's man around here. Almost all the new recruits look up to him."

I slowly looked over at the kid. Typical teenage boys, to look up to a 'playa.' But, Zack wasn't a bad person to emulate, I supposed. Hopefully he'd grow out of his womanizing ways.

"Make wha…oh!" Zack suddenly exclaimed.

"So, I'm supposing you're one of those new recruits," I said, ignoring Zack's outburst as I folded my arms across my chest.

"Yes and no, Ma'am," the kid replied, "I haven't been here as long as Zack has, but I have been here long enough. This is my first time returning to the Shin-Ra building in a while, though. How'd you know?"

"You're the only one that dares call me ma'am, kid," I grumbled as Zack was swearing to Aerith that he hadn't forgotten something, when it was obvious he had.

"Luxiere," he supplied his name. A very confusing name, at that.

"And you're Anubis," Luxiere continued. "I've heard you mentioned around the base a little, but not very often. To be honest, I think the men are a little afraid of you and I can see why. You do look pretty intimidating."

"Whispers of a nameless fear," I mused. "I have a funny feeling that's not going to be the last time I hear something like that."

"You don't act very intimidating, though, and you're friends with Zack. I think they're wrong about you, Ma'am," Luxiere commented.

Oh God, another fan boy. That's all I needed. I could barely handle one, I didn't need more. Zack hung up his phone, pocketed it, and looked at me.

"I'm going to Aerith's to help her build a wagon for her flowers. I promised her I would. If Lazard needs me, tell him where I am."

I nodded, "Alright."

Luxiere and I watched as Zack jogged to the elevators. I sighed and turned back to face Luxiere.

"Look, I'm going to go look for Sephiroth, or something."

He was silent for a moment before asking, "Why are telling me this?"

I blinked and frowned, "Because I would have felt bad if I simply walked away and left you standing here all by your lonesome."

"Thanks, Miss, but I'll probably be standing here for a while longer anyway. I'm waiting on someone."

"Oh, well, then," I replied, "it won't be as awkward. Good-bye then."

And as Luxiere said good-bye, as well, I sped-walked away. I was being friendly again, and that was not something I should have been doing. No, what I should have been doing was searching for Sephiroth to drag him away from whatever documents he was reading, slam the door in his face, lock him out, and read the damn things myself. I knew no harm would come from me reading them, and if nothing revealed anything dangerous for Sephiroth, _then_ I'd let him read it…but only then.

The problem with that plan was that I had no idea where the data room was. A few floors came to mind; the floor with the extensive library, the floor with the Midgar replica, and Lazard's office with its small library. However, all of those places were floors, not rooms, with the exception being Lazard's office. I shrugged and walked to the elevators. Ah well, even if Lazard's office didn't constitute as a data room, and Sephiroth wasn't there, I could always bug the Director. Nothing was better than tricking your superiors into believing you actually cared.

Upon reaching Director Lazard's office, I quickly saw something was up—with Lazard. He was standing at his small desk in the corner, books and papers strewn everywhere, and was giving them all a look of deep concentration. Said concentration was broken when I entered the main portion of his office. He blinked, looked back at me, and then turned his head back to the desk, shuffling some of the papers around to tidy them up.

"Something I can help you with, Anubis?" He asked.

"No, not really," I replied, trying to get a glimpse of what he was working on. No such luck.

"I'm sorry, but I'm rather tied up at the moment. The attacks on our building have created far too many issues I must attend to. The Security Department is hounding me because Genesis—a SOLDIER deserter—led the attack," he explained.

So, it was as I'd feared. Poor Lazard.

I frowned thoughtfully, "Security Department? Isn't that run by that fat guy that looks like a logger? Heidegger?"

"Yes," Lazard sighed, "and Security is also busy getting ready to annihilate both Angeal and Genesis."

I scoffed, "They honestly believe their little Infantrymen and vacuum cleaners stand a chance against two First Class SOLDIERs? Don't make me laugh. Besides, didn't Angeal _help_ in our last fight against Genesis?"

Lazard frowned, "He is still a risk factor. At least—"

"That's how the company views him," I finished, leaning up against the doorway. "I figured as much. Shin-Ra is as readable as any organization. Someone goes against them, that person is labeled a traitor, and is 'taken care of.'"

"With your understanding of how things go," Lazard asked, amused, "can you blame them?"

"Yes," I replied, pushing myself off the wall and beginning to pace. "They know what they did. The fact that their surprised by Genesis' and Angeal's behavior shows how stupid they are. You can only fuck with someone's life so much before they snap. Shin-Ra deserves everything that happens to it, if you ask me."

Lazard walked over to his main desk, "If you have such prejudices against the Company, why don't you leave?"

His question was sincere and simple curiosity. Fortunately, I knew the answer.

"I've given it thought. If I leave, my life will be boring. I'll be leaving all my friends behind and they'll be in a place where I can't reach—I couldn't protect them or watch over them. And, if Angeal and Genesis are an example to what happens when you 'leave' Shin-Ra, then I'll be hunted and possibly destroyed."

Lazard smiled from his chair, "Well said. There's always a high price to pay for freedom."

"What about you?" I asked, pausing in my pacing to look at him, "You ever thought of leaving?"

"Never. Not once."

"Wow," I replied. "That's some conviction. May I ask why?"

"When you are trying to realize a truly worthy goal, obstacles and difficulties don't amount to anything."

"What kind of goal?"

Lazard hesitated in his answer. He stood up, "Never mind. That's enough chitchat for now. I must get back to work."

No, that wasn't suspicious. I pouted a little but turned to leave anyway. Ignorance was bliss, they always said. And the more ignorant one was, the less information the Turks could beat out later. I walked out of Lazard's office and to the elevators. My mission was still to find Sephiroth and, even though I had no idea where the data room was, I thought of someone who might.

Back on the SOLDIER floor, I stalked the halls searching for my prey. It was difficult business since I was trying to see the back of the SOLDIER First's helmets and none of them were willing to turn their back on me. After several minutes of stalking the poor boys, I realized none of them were who I was looking for. Grumbling, I walked to the elevators and waited—smashing myself against the wall so that those who came out of the elevators couldn't see me. I got some strange looks—or what I perceived strange since I couldn't see half their faces—as I waited for my victim, but it was going to be worth it.

Two SOLDIERs came in while I stood there, none of them were who I was waiting on; though, it was pretty funny when one of them caught me and jumped back with a squeak of surprise. My Cheshire grin seemed to calm the boy's nerves, probably causing him to think miss bad Anubis was playing pranks on the kiddies, and he stormed off with a huff.

The third SOLDIER, however, was my victim, and he did not get off so easily. Grinning, I jumped towards him.

"Hey, Jerry!"

"Augh!"

"Aah!"

Note to self: Do not scare SOLDIERs who have swords strapped to their backs.

When I had scared the poor teen, his instincts took over, leaving me to watch in horror as he grabbed the hilt of his sword in one hand and spun effortlessly around to try and lop off the head of his assailant. I cried out and just barely managed to jump back with my neck intact.

Recognizing who I was, his mouth opened in surprise—and probably panic—as he quickly lowered his sword.

"I'm so sorry!" He shouted. "I didn't mean to!"

I eyed him warily, "You could have killed me, you know?"

"W-well, you shouldn't sneak up on me!"

"You shouldn't have an itchy trigger finger! Sword finger! Hand!" I shook my head, "You mean what I know!"

"Don't you mean, 'You know what I mean'?"

"No, I know what I mean, and you mean what I know," I took a deep breath and let it out quickly, "Look, just tell me where the data room is."

"I don't know," Jerry replied, dashing my hopes of ever finding Sephiroth. His voice turned hopeful as he placed his sword on his back, "Wait, you remembered who I was?"

"Don't get your hopes up, kid," I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest, which probably looked weird what with the staff and all, "There's a slight dent in the back of your helmet from where I clobbered you that one day."

"There is?" Jerry asked.

I waited for him to remove his helmet to check, but after a few seconds he still refused to do so.

"You're not going to check?" I asked innocently.

"No," Jerry replied, his voice had a suspicious tone to it, "I believe you."

He was on to me, that's what the tone meant, "Why don't you ever take that damn thing off?"

"Why don't you take yours off?" Jerry countered smugly.

"I've pretty much gotten orders from the President not to do that," I replied.

Jerry paused, it wasn't until he spoke I realized it was from awe, "You get orders from the President? I remember you mentioning an order from the President a while back, but I didn't think that meant you get them all the time."

Open mouth, insert foot. For someone who was supposed to be very secretive, I sure liked giving crap away. At least I always slipped to Jerry, a stalker fan boy, as opposed to some complete stranger. The fact I had come to terms with my stalker fan boy was a little unsettling. Something must have been wrong with me.

"I don't get orders from the President _all the time_," I groaned, dragging my hand down what was exposed of my face. "That order was given a long while back before I even joined SOLDIER, now can you please stop asking those kinds of questions; I'm not supposed to let people know that stuff."

Before Jerry could respond, the sound of my cell phone's ringtone flittered through the air. I cringed. My cell was in my pocket which was under my suit. To answer the damn phone, I would have to power down the suit, grab aforementioned phone, and quickly reapply the suit. Jerry was looking directly at me. I waged a war within myself: to de-suit, or not to de-suit, that was the question. After about twenty seconds of my annoying ringtone, I figured de-suit was the way to go.

Quickly snapping my head around to see if anyone was watching—which they weren't, save for Jerry—I pointed behind the kid and shouted, "Look, a distraction!"

Much to my relief, Jerry looked, screaming, "Where?"

In no time at all, I'd deactivated my suit, yanked my phone out of my pocket, and reactivated it just as Jerry was turning around to say, "What? I don't—Oh, you…"

He paused when he caught the amusing sight of me fumbling for my phone as it fell towards the ground. When the suit had reactivated, the metal that covered my fingers formed between fingers and phone, and I lost my grip. Luckily, I managed to catch my phone before it smashed on the tiled floor and kept my staff from slipping from where I had it pinned to my side with my elbow, as well. Triumphantly, I flipped open my phone and placed it to my ear.

"Yo," I breathed.

Lazard's voice was on the other end, "Where are you currently?"

"SOLDIER Floor," I replied, casting a glance at Jerry. The kid was trying too hard to overhear my conversation.

"…why didn't you answer?"

"Please, _please_, don't make me answer that," I replied, rubbing my eyebrows from under my helmet.

"Very well, I've received word from Angeal that Genesis and Hollander are in Modeoheim. I've already alerted the Turks. You and Zack are to accompany the Turks and…stop Genesis and Hollander."

"'Stop' is a very vague word, Director," I said quietly.

"Yes, it is, Anubis," was his only reply. "I want you two to meet the Turks here. You'll be taking one of the helicopters."

"Uh…" I laughed nervously. "Zack's with Aerith in the Sector 5 Slums. He told me to tell you in case you needed to know where he was, and I'm guessing now is that time."

I heard the Director sigh, "In that case, I'll inform Tseng of Zack's whereabouts. In the meantime, go to the Turks' helipad and await further orders."

"Yes, sir," I replied. After I heard him hang up, I did the same. Looking at Jerry, I noticed he was staring at me intently. Most likely waiting for me to explain what I was up to. He really was too curious for his own good.

"I'm going on assignment," I said, "and that's all the information you're gonna get. I don't know when I'll get back, since I'm traveling pretty far away, so don't try waiting on me or something."

Jerry deflated a little. If I didn't know better, I would have sworn he was taking lessons from Zack on the 'kicked puppy' technique. I waged yet another war within myself. To appease the kid, or not appease the kid… Geh. I cringed as I couldn't believe the next words to come out of my mouth.

"Look, how about I give you my cell number?" I asked with a whimper.

Jerry paused, "Seriously?"

I held my breath. Just say you were joking and run away. Run away now and never look back. What's the worst he could do, be pissed for a day?

"Yeah," I replied, cursing myself. I held up a finger with authority, "but you can't call me! You can only text, and even then, I might not answer."

Jerry frowned, "If it's going to bother you that much, don't—"

I thrust my phone out to him, "Give me your number!"

"Okay, okay, jeez."

I hated being generous sometimes, but I hated it even more when the person refused such generosity and tried to throw it back in my face. It was a privilege for me to be nice to them, how dare they think so little of it. That's why I never once in my life turned down anyone's help; I felt it was a sign that they liked me enough to do so, and I should accept their feelings with gratitude. Ok, so maybe I refused help a few times, but only on things I didn't need help with! Like those knots in my electrical cords Ronnie used to try and help me with, only for him to have his hand swatted away as I growled and continued to fumble with the damn cords. A stubborn mule I was, but I couldn't help it, it was in my genes. Lord knows I wasn't raised that way.

Jerry put his number in my phone as I tapped my foot impatiently on the floor. He did a few other unnecessary things that, when I heard his phone go off, made me realize he'd sent himself a message from my phone so he could stow my number in his, without having to pry too deep within my phone to find it. I was stunned by this. Maybe Jerry wasn't so much of a fan boy after all, and was merely a fan. Fan boys would have taken my phone and ran screaming down the hallway in glee…and a pointy diamond would have quickly found its way into their back.

He handed the phone back to me, "Here. Should I turn back around so you can pocket it?"

"No," I replied, glancing around before taking off my helmet, placing my phone on my head, and putting the helmet back on.

It felt a little strange, but the phone stayed put. When I looked up at Jerry, I realized the corners of his mouth were covered upwards in a face that was screaming, "I'm trying so hard not to laugh right now." I frowned.

"Shut up," I snapped. "It's the only way I can keep it on my person without it being trapped within the suit. Anyways, I'm going now; I've stalled long enough."

I left Jerry behind and entered the elevators. Thank God I'd been a Turk and knew where the helipads were, or I would have been lost with Lazard's lack of directions. That conversation played out in my head. Go to the helipad. Ok, got it, sir…quick question, where is that? Like I still had no idea where the data room was. I frowned when I remembered Sephiroth's whereabouts, and how he wasn't included for the mission. Well, that was a no brainer, seeing as how his phone wasn't permitted in wherever the hell he was. Shouldn't he be alerted to what was about to go down, though? I thought so, at least. They were his friends, after all.

When I arrived at the helipad, the helicopter was waiting, its blades already whirring in anticipation. Standing outside the helicopter were two Infantrymen and, much to my surprise, Ronnie. I frowned as I walked towards them.

"How'd _you_ get on this assignment?" I asked.

Ronnie turned his attention from one of the grunts to me. He blinked in surprise.

"Sa—"

_Glare of death._

"Sa-So, Anubis, you got dragged in, too?" Ronnie caught himself. Even though he couldn't see my eyes, he'd been around me long enough to know the look I was giving him from under the helmet.

"Yes, I did," I replied, finally reaching them. I gave a brief look to the Grunts then looked back at Ronnie, "However, since I'm a SOLDIER First with previous experience with the targets, I can understand why _I'd_ be drafted for this assignment. However, _you_ are an inexperienced paper boy, last I checked, how did _you _get drafted?"

Ronnie frowned with mock pain, "Ouch, Anubis. That really hurt. As for your information," Ronnie grinned, puffing his chest out, "I'm the pilot. Tseng's coming too, but he's not here. We have to pick him up."

Many things ran through my mind at that moment. Oh, God, we were all gonna die, Ronnie was flying aircraft. Since when had he learned to fly a helicopter? _Could_ he fly a helicopter? I didn't feel safe in an aircraft flown by that idiot; just like I didn't feel safe with Reno flying one. Reno and Ronnie were kinda alike, I supposed. Where was Tseng? Out of all those thoughts, I decided to only voice one.

"Where's Tseng?"

"He went to go find the other SOLDIER that's coming with us. Zack, I think his name was," Ronnie replied. His phone went off, causing me and one of the Grunts to look at his pocket as he held up one finger and reached into his pocket, "Hold on a minute."

Taking out his phone, he put it to his ear and started to walk away for privacy, "Hell-lo?"

"There he goes again, answering it like his father…" I grumbled.

Sensing someone's eyes on me, I turned my head to see aforementioned Infantryman looking at me. I blinked as we continued to stare at one another. He seemed like he was battling with himself on whether or not he wanted to say something; about what, I had no clue.

His skin color was extremely pale, I noticed, and that reminded me of a certain little cadet I'd met back in the elevators when I had been made Third. Whether or not he was the same boy, I had no idea; and, honestly, what were the odds? So, I remained silent and turned my attention back to Ronnie. He had just hung up his phone and was walking back towards us.

"That was Tseng, he's found Zack and has requested we move now," Ronnie smiled at me. "It seems you arrived just in time. He probably would have told me to leave you if you hadn't shown up."

I didn't put it past him. Tseng had always been a very business-type person. No such thing existed as 'fashionably late' with him.

Ronnie ordered—more like asked politely—us into the helicopter. I sat on one side of the helicopter while the two Infantrymen sat on the other. Ronnie climbed back into the cockpit, I closed my eyes waiting to die, and then the helicopter rose from the helipad, sending us on our way.

My eyes were closed for a good five minutes before I decided we weren't going to fall from the sky and explode. When I reopened them, I was greeted by a very amusing image. The Grunt on the right was making all kinds of random motions with his hands, all of which were aimed in my direction. I could only assume that he'd tried to get my attention at some point, and since my eyes had been closed, he'd thought that I couldn't see him. Naturally, a game of 'Can you see me' was initiated. His random waves weren't as hilarious as the face of terror that was visible on the left Grunt's, the pale Grunt's, face. I resisted the urge to cackle.

"What are you doing?" I asked blankly.

The Grunt jumped as if he'd been shot, the pale Grunt was looking away in embarrassment for his comrade.

"N-nothin', Ma'am!" Righty squeaked out.

I twitched, "It's Anubis, not 'ma'am'; I'm only twenty-three. And don't give me that, 'You're still older than me' crap!"

"Y-yes," He replied, bowing his head to hide his face.

The helicopter started to descend causing me to look out the window. We were over the Sector 5 Slums. I only knew that because I could just make out the domed steeple of a church. So, Zack was still with Aerith and Tseng had gone to retrieve him, then we went to retrieve both. It made sense.

Zack and Tseng looked like they were discussing something. Zack shrugged at something Tseng said and replied. The helicopter touched down smoothly, congratulations on Ronnie's part, and Zack started towards the craft, his arms swinging. Tseng turned and followed after them. My eyes flickered to what they didn't see—a white feather falling from the sky to rest on the doorstep of the church. I smiled. _Well, what do you know?_ I mused, _There are guardian angels after all._

—**FFVII—**

The ride to Modeoheim went smoothly, for the most part. Zack had joined me in the back with the Infantrymen, while Tseng joined Ronnie in the cockpit. I stayed silent for the most part, only responding to random comments made by Zack, who seemed to be the only one interested in talking along the way. Ronnie was too focused on flying to pitch in, for which I was eternally grateful. Back on Earth, the man had no problems texting and driving at the same time—and he wondered why I didn't like riding with him.

When we neared Modeoheim, I noticed that we were heading for a mountain range. I frowned. Great, just what I needed, freezing cold weather. I hated the cold. I'd take hot deserts any day over frigid mountains. My frown worsened when we hit the blizzard that had manifested itself directly over the mountain. I had come to appreciate Ronnie's flying abilities; however, I didn't know how well he could handle little to no visibility—or how well the Shin-Ra made helicopters could, for that matter.

We had been traveling in the blizzard for a few minutes before Zack spoke, "Well, this is a long ride."

"We're almost there," Tseng's not-so-interested voice replied. "It's just over the mountain range."

"Yeah, well, I wish we'd hurry up and get there," I grumbled. "I don't like flying in this crap."

Early in the flight, when I'd first spoken to answer Zack I knew was when Tseng had figured out I was me. That is, he'd figured out Anubis was Saan. Thankfully, he hadn't mentioned it to the rest of the crew, even though more than half already knew my identity. I wasn't afraid to talk with him in my presence anymore.

"You're not the one flying in this crap," Ronnie replied. "I am. Relax, I've got everything covered."

"Just shut up and watch the road, _honey_."

Zack looked at me, stunned, "You know him?"

"I live with him," I deadpanned. I regretted my words.

Zack's eyebrows rose as he pointed at Ronnie, grinning slightly, "You—?"

"No!" I snapped.

"Oh, come on, dear," Ronnie said and I knew he was grinning. "You can tell him all about us."

"I oughta kill you," I replied peevishly.

All fun-and-games were abruptly stopped as the helicopter jarred violently, causing me to bounce into Zack like a ping-pong ball. Ronnie swore as his hand tightened around the joystick, and I knew my fears of a fiery death were just around the bend.

"Ronnie!" I shouted, clawing at the air as all of us in the back were shaken in our belts.

"It wasn't me!" He cried. "Something must have hit us."

"Did the mountain hit us?" I hissed in a condescending tone.

"No, _Anubis_, the mountain did not hit us and I did not hit the mountain. Shit!"

"We're losing altitude," Tseng interrupted in a calm voice, "and fast."

Oh hoho, yay. I was going to die a virgin, fancy that. At least I was going to die with Ronnie. Granted, I was a little pissed with him at the moment, but it was always nice to go with friends. I'd have preferred not to be going at that point in my life, but oh well.

As the helicopter lost altitude, we broke free of the worst part of the blizzard. I panicked when I saw we were headed for a very rocky part of the mountain, and I wasn't the only one. Ronnie was shooting off swear words left and right and the poor Infantrymen weren't making nice noises either. The only good part was we were _slowly_ approaching our death. Well, slow enough given the weight of the craft. Ronnie was trying his damnedest to keep us level.

"We're going to have to jump," Tseng said suddenly, still calm.

More than one stunned face gawked at him.

"We'll wait until we're close enough to the ground so the injuries will be minimal. Ronnie, keep the helicopter as level as you can and try to slow its decent. You'll have to be the last person out, if you can handle that," Tseng finished, glancing at Ronnie. Ronnie nodded.

Everyone in the back unbuckled themselves, getting ready to do the most insane stunt any of us had ever dared. Save maybe for Zack, he'd fallen from the Plate to the Slums and walked away without a scratch. I had a funny feeling the rest of us weren't going to be so lucky.

Before long, Tseng was up and out of his seat and pulling the side door open. I cringed as wind and snow swept into the chopper, my hair whipping around my head. Tseng looked back at us.

"Wait for my signal," he commanded. We nodded.

A whimpering sound to my left made me look over. The pale Grunt was looking out the door with a doubtful expression quirking his lips. I feel your pain, buddy. It wasn't long before Tseng motioned with his head to Zack, who jumped clear out of the chopper like he did it for a living. That kid had more guts than brains. Next up was Righty, who didn't even bother to think before leaping—probably too scared he'd chicken out. Then was the pale Grunt. He stalled in front of the door, and I knew he wasn't going to jump on his own. Praying for his safety, I stumbled behind him and kicked him hard in the back. He cried out and tumbled out of the chopper.

Tseng looked at me and nodded. I shook my head no. Tseng scowled.

"Look," I said, my voice shaking in panic and adrenaline, "I'd rather you go first and then me go, alright? I want to jump out with Ronnie so I know he's safe."

Tseng sighed, but positioned himself in front of the door. He looked back over his shoulder and said, "You'd better follow, Anubis."

With Tseng gone and the ground steadily approaching, I looked over at Ronnie.

"Come on!" I shouted to him over the wind in my ear.

"You go first," he shouted back, "I'll follow after you, trust me."

I growled. I knew he had every intention of following after me; however, there was always the possibility he wouldn't have been able to get out of the cockpit and out of the chopper in time. He was the only thing keeping the bird in the air, and I knew once his hands left the controls the damn thing would probably go spinning out of control. The image of him tumbling around inside the helicopter before it crashed into a fiery ball of death was remarkably not funny.

I was angry at my situation, angry at his stubbornness, and just all-around pissed when I stormed over to the cockpit in a hurry. My hand shot out to grasp Ronnie by his shirt, and I only just registered a strange golden glow coming from my fingers as I ripped him out of the chair, spun, dragging his stumbling ass around, and flung him out the door. Hopefully he would tuck and roll.

It was only when I felt the helicopter lean that I realized my mistake. I should have used my momentum to fling both of us out. The chopper jerked violently, causing me to stagger and fall to the floor. It was trying its best to turn onto its side, and I was forced to grab a hold of the bottom of the door or risk sliding to the other side of the craft. I was briefly shocked to find golden claws had appeared on the tips of my fingers—explaining the glow—but I didn't care since they were holding me in place.

Very depressing thoughts ran through my head as I tried to pull myself up the slope known as the floor. I remembered the image of the ground I had seen when Tseng jumped and knew I couldn't be that far from it. Much to my relief, the helicopter started to tilt the other way, as if to re-right itself.

My relief was short lived as I heard the eerie sound of the helicopter's blades cutting into the side of the mountain. I wanted to scream but knew that doing so was dumb and pointless—dumb because I risked biting my tongue off, pointless because no one could help me. The frame of the aircraft shuddered violently as it skid along the mountain. I whimpered and shut my eyes, praying to survive the ordeal in one piece. The craft hit something rough—probably a large boulder—and ricocheted off, causing me to slide forward and slam my mouth onto the floor, my teeth cutting into my lip. Again, I resisted the urge to scream.

With a final jolt, the aircraft came to a stop. The inertia caused me to bounce up and down painfully, knocking the wind out of me. I felt beaten, bruised, and my lip was killing me, but I knew it would have been worse if not for my suit. I wanted nothing more than to lie there, but I could smell burning oil and knew that if I didn't get my ass in gear something even worse could go down.

Moaning, I looked around for my staff and saw it resting behind me, the diamond reflecting the fire that was coming from somewhere near the cockpit. Thankfully, the helicopter had come to rest at a less steep angle and I was able to push myself up, albeit slowly. It took a few tries of yanking to get my new claws out of the floor, but eventually I managed and reached for my staff. Once I had it, I cast Cure on myself, and felt some of the aches and pains diminish and my lip heal—though not all the way.

I stumbled out of the helicopter, landing face first in the snow. Grumbling, I pushed myself back up and straightened my helmet. Blasted thing was getting on my nerves. I looked around and saw the others lying in various places throughout the snow. The two Grunts were closer to the helicopter than the rest. Ronnie had landed around the same area as Tseng had; I didn't know how I managed that since they were farther than the Grunts. Zack was the farthest one from the helicopter.

Shaking a little, I pushed myself onto my feet and trudged towards the Grunts. I plopped down beside them to check on them. No broken bones or blood were visible, but I took no chances and cast Cure on them, as well. I was awarded with a few groans as I got up and made my way to Tseng. As I knelt down beside Tseng, Zack came to and pushed himself up on his hands and knees.

"Ugh…well, that's a fine how-do-you-do!" Zack said as I cast Cure on Tseng.

Tseng must have been semi-conscious before, because as soon as the spell cast a green glow over his body his eyes popped open in a way that almost had me screaming. As I rocked back from my almost-heart attack, Tseng looked up at me; recognizing me as no enemy, he winced a little and he started to push himself up with his left hand. He wasn't the only one, Zack was also getting up. The boy looked around, but failed to notice us behind him.

I looked in Ronnie's direction. Seeing his hand twitch, I knew he was alright and didn't bother to walk over to him.

"Tseng! Hey, guys!" Zack called out.

I pointed my staff in Ronnie's direction and cast Cure from my place beside Tseng. That seemed to speed up his actions a bit. He wasted no time in trying to get up, shaking the snow off him in a similar fashion that Zack had. My spell must have alerted Zack, for he turned around with a surprised expression on his face. When he registered that everybody else was there, alive, and quite capable on standing on their own two feet, he started to walk towards us.

Tseng reached into his pocket, pulled out his cell phone, hit a number on his speed dial, and placed the phone to his ear. He was silent as Zack finally reached us, and then he frowned.

"No signal out here," He said, flipping the phone shut and putting it back in his pocket.

"Well, at least we're all in one piece. We'll be all right," Zack replied.

He was quite chipper for someone who had just been in a helicopter crash. Oh, wait, _I_ had been the one in the crash, _he'd_ jumped out and landed in soft, squishy snow. Tseng looked down at my hands, and I knew what was coming next.

"What are those?" He asked nodding at them.

Tseng's question caused everybody to look at my new claws, Ronnie included.

"Those are new," Zack commented. "Though, can claws really be such a good thing in everyday life?"

"No," I grumbled, holding my hands up to look at the golden, curved points that decorated my fingertips, "and I really wished they'd go away."

As if on cue, the mysteriously appearing claws mysteriously disappeared in a similar fashion that the suit always did when I deactivated it—breaking up into tiny pieces and dissolving. Only the claws seemed to dissolve into the last joint of its respective finger instead of the bangle on my arm. My face became blank; an expression I often wore when annoyed.

"That's convenient," Zack said.

"Yeah it is," Ronnie added in that mocking tone of his, "If we ever need to scale the mountain, we'll just use Anubis' claws."

I gave him a look that clearly said, "Go to Hell."

"We won't need to," Tseng spoke up, motioning with his head the direction we were to travel, "Modeoheim is right along this path. Thankfully," Tseng added, looking at Zack, "we have someone used to this kind of terrain."

Zack shrugged, "Yeah, yeah, I'm a country boy…"

Really? I thought. I was, too. Well, from the country, that is. I wasn't male. I'd never taken the time to ask where Zack had come from. Come to think of it, I didn't know where Sephiroth was from, either. Or Angeal. Or Genesis. Or anyone… I was a bad friend.

"All right, then," Tseng said as he walked ahead of Zack. "We would have reached Modeoheim by now if we hadn't crashed. So we're going to need to make up for lost time."

Zack took the lead, since he was faster and supposedly knew the terrain so well, "All right, follow me, then!"

He motioned with his arm to 'come here' then turned and began our journey. The mountain was going to be uphill and downhill, left and right, the entire trip, I already foresaw that; but, that didn't mean I was going to like it. As we walked, everyone slipped into a pace that matched their stamina and expertise of snow-covered rocky terrain. Zack and the pale cadet were up ahead, Ronnie and I almost on their heels, while Tseng was a good ways behind us, Righty even further behind than him. I worried a little about Righty; if there were monsters around, he'd be picked off easily.

While coming up a hill, Zack took the time to check on those behind him and the pale Grunt. He grinned a little when he saw how far behind Tseng was. Cupping his hand to his mouth, he shouted at them.

"Yo! Don't fall too far behind!" He turned back to face the front, and then glanced at the pale Grunt, "At least someone's keeping up!"

"Yes, because Ronnie and I are so not three feet behind you," I muttered under my breath. Ronnie chuckled.

"Well," the pale Grunt replied, "I'm a country boy, too."

Another one, eh? We're everywhere, we're everywhere! Sweet tea all 'round!

When the boy replied, I instantly recognized his voice as Cloud's, the little cadet I'd met in the elevator—and who I thought him to be before we made the cursed trip to Modeoheim. Perhaps that's what he was trying to tell me when he was staring at me. Maybe I should have said something earlier. I flinched a little when I remembered kicking him out of the helicopter. Whoops.

Zack smiled a little, "From where?"

Cloud paused, causing me and Ronnie to halt in our steps so we didn't plow into the other two. Plus, we weren't against eavesdropping. Even though I already knew the answer to Zack's question.

"Nibelheim," Cloud replied.

Zack, who'd stopped and been looking at Cloud when he spoke, squinted at the kid before bursting into laughter. This seemed to irk Cloud, as the boy advanced on Zack.

"How about you?" he asked.

Zack spun back around, smile still on his face as he pointed towards himself with his thumb, "Me? Gongaga."

My snort was cleverly masked by Cloud's chuckle. What a horrendously ridiculous name for a town. Gongaga? Were there lots of babies there, or something? When Cloud realized he had just chuckled at a superior officer, he put his hand to his mouth and looked away quickly. Zack didn't let him get away with it, though.

"Hey, what's so funny about that!" He exclaimed, pointing at Cloud as he stepped towards him, "You know Gongaga?"

"No, but, it's such a backwater name."

"Ditto Nibelheim!" Zack shot back, nodding before turning away.

It was all I could do to keep quiet; Ronnie had his giggles well hidden since he'd turned his back on the teens. Nibelheim wasn't actually that weird of a name. Heim, I knew, was German—or at least it was back on Earth—which kind of fit little blond-haired, blue-eyed Cloud. However, Gongaga just seemed like…a nonsensical word.

Cloud, once again, took offense to Zack's words. I found it amusing they both had no problem insulting the other's hometown; yet, when someone insulted their _own_ hometown, they wouldn't have it.

"Like you've been there?" Cloud asked crossly.

Zack faced Cloud again, "I haven't, but there's a reactor there, right?"

Cloud nodded.

Zack continued, "A Mako rector outside Midgar usually means…"

"…nothing else out there."

I blinked in surprise and confusion as Zack and Cloud uttered those words together. I wasn't so much surprised or confused about their actions; I attributed that to a well-known fact shared between everyone. What did surprise and confuse me, however, was that I didn't know said well-known fact. I frowned, my thoughts drifting to why Mako reactors were placed where there were hardly any people around. None of the answers popping into my head were good ones.

Cloud and Zack, on the other hand, found their simultaneous comment to be amusing and laughed heartily, as if they hadn't been in a small argument moments before. Zack walked a little ways from the mountain to glance at Tseng—who was still a good piece away even though we'd been stopped for a while.

"Good news, Tseng! Me and…" Zack paused and looked at Cloud when he realized he didn't know the kid's name.

Cloud took his helmet off, placing it under his arm as he replied, "Cloud."

"Me and Cloud here are both backwater experts. Oh yeah!" Zack finished, doing a weird little pelvic thrust move that almost had me laughing once again.

After his little announcement, Zack began walking down the path again, Cloud following behind him.

"Good," I heard Tseng shout behind us. "Carry on then."

Ronnie looked back and I followed his gaze. He had a worried look on his face; it was directed at Tseng. He looked back at me and I knew what he was going to say before he even said it.

"You catch up with the other guys; I'm going to stay back with Tseng. It'd be really bad if I just left my boss behind," he said.

"I thought Verdot was the boss," I replied, an amused smile on my face.

"Yeah, well, Tseng's in good with Verdot, so…" Ronnie trailed off then pointed towards Tseng, "I'm going with him."

I smirked as Ronnie jogged back down the mountain towards Tseng. I knew the real reason he wanted to go with Tseng was because he didn't like leaving anybody behind. Ronnie was entirely too good for his _own_ good.

Rubbing my tongue subconsciously over the cut in my lip, I turned and jogged to catch up with Zack and Cloud. It didn't take me that long to reach them. However, when I tried to slam on the brakes, it only then occurred to me that I was in snow. As soon as the thought crossed my mind that maybe jogging was a bad idea, my foot slipped on some hidden ice, and off I went down the hill. Thankfully, I slipped close enough to the boys that, when I cried out and did a little windmill trick to steady myself, they were able to grip my arms and keep me from making a Saan angel in the snow.

"Thank you," I grumbled, embarrassed that I had actually done something so foolish.

"Maybe those claws of yours should go on your feet," Cloud said innocently as he and Zack made sure I was stable before letting go of my arms.

"That or the suit should conjure up some freakin' snowshoes," I replied grumpily.

"You know, it probably doesn't help that your suit is metal, Anubis," Zack added. "Metal gets slick when wet."

"It also gets very cold; however, for some reason, this thing seems to be well-insulated. Not that I'm complaining, I hate the cold," I paused, my eyes drifting forward to rest on the evil emus Ronnie and I had encountered on our way to Midgar almost a year ago. "Oh, wouldja look at that, we have company!"

Zack grinned, unsheathing his sword as he ran towards the birds, "Bring it on!"

I merely watched, arms crossed, as Zack ran headlong at the enemies. Cloud fumbled with his gun a little before aiming it at the emus. He didn't fire, however, for fear of hitting Zack—who was slicing into the emus effortlessly. For some odd reason, my brain jumped to turkeys and, even with the carnage in front of me, I was getting mighty hungry. Perhaps I should have eaten lunch before coming.

Lolling my head to the side, I shouted, "Need help with that?"

"No, I got it!" _Slice._

I grunted and looked towards my left as the last emu fell. I hated going on missions with Zack for the simple fact that I never got to kill anything. I loved him and everything, but the kid needed to learn how to share.

As I stared off towards the corner, pouting about my boredom, a very interesting creature rose up behind Zack. In milliseconds my brain processed the lion body, bird feet, bird head, and wings as a gryphon. The following second it registered that this was not a friendly creature I should be staring at in awe, and that it was a monster—a monster that was targeting Zack. And Zack, in all his glory, was too busy swinging his sword around in triumph to notice the danger.

Instinct kicked in about the two second mark, and I gave my best 'concerned moan' that I could. Luckily, Cloud was a very observant child. The little cadet bolted in the direction of Zack as I stood rooted to the ground in a shocked 'oh shit' manner.

"Zack, get down!" Cloud shouted, bringing his rifle up to aim at the creature.

Zack was very quick to comply, ducking just before a hail of gunfire whizzed above his head. The monster cried out in pain as it was riddled with too many bullets to count. In about three seconds, the gryphon was dead and falling down to the ravine below. Quite fortunate for it that it was dead, or that would have really hurt when it hit bottom.

Zack seemed a little surprised by the fact he'd almost been jumped by a monster, but he looked even more impressed that Cloud had saved him.

"Thanks!" Zack exclaimed, grinning.

Shaking my head to snap out of my shock, I walked towards the boys. Zack looked up at me and smiled mischievously. I knew he was about to tease me, and I had a funny suspicion I knew about what.

"You know," he said, "you could have helped."

"I did help," I replied defensively, "I moaned concernedly. Besides," I waved at the blonde, "Cloud here seemed to have everything under control."

"I didn't really…do much…of anything," Cloud said, looking around nervously as his face turned a faint shade of pink.

"Mmm," I hummed, finding humor in Cloud's embarrassment. "Yes, well anyways, we should get going before the other guys catch up."

Zack frowned as I strolled past him, resting my staff on my shoulders.

"Shouldn't we be waiting for them?" Zack asked.

"Nope," I replied. "Last one there's a rotten egg."

"Oh, well, in that case," Zack said, a grin in his voice.

It didn't surprise me when the kid ran past me; I _had_ goaded him into such actions. It sort of surprised me that Cloud did the same thing, trailing after Zack effortlessly, even though he wasn't a SOLDIER. I put it to both coming from the country; which probably was more 'country' than my country. Plus, they were boys, and probably spent most of their youths imitating monkeys. However, one point remained:

"Ice!" I hissed in warning.

The brakes were applied quickly. Zack scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh, yeah, forgot about that," I heard him mutter.

Our trio continued on in silence for a good clip. Down, then up, and curving as we did so. It was a slow affair. Along the way, we ran into some pipes that seemed to pop out of the earth and travel down into the ravine. I was curious to see where they led, but I also wasn't a big fan of slipping and falling to my death. Surviving a helicopter crash only to plummet into a ravine within the hour would have really sucked.

Eventually we came to a cliff. Zack and Cloud were still a little ways ahead of me—I refused to run to catch up with them again—and Ronnie, Tseng, and Righty were still _way_ back there. When the teen duo approached the edge of the cliff, they stopped to allow the rest of us to catch up.

"Phew," Zack sighed. He turned to look behind us and check up on the others, "Let's wait a bit."

"Hey, Zack, uh…" Cloud said hesitantly as I caught up to them.

"Hm?" Zack questioned, looking at Cloud.

I continued to walk past them to the edge of the cliff. I'd caught something peeking out just below us. Coming to a stop at the edge, I frowned at what I saw below me. It was a compound of some kind. It reminded me of a Mako reactor, but I knew that wasn't what it was. That didn't disturb me, though. No, what disturbed me were the figures prancing around on the inside holding guns. Guarded areas were never a good sign. Licking the cut on my lip, I backed away from the edge, praying they hadn't seen me. Black on white tended to stick out.

"Um," Cloud continued, "What's it like to be in SOLDIER…?"

Aw, poor little Cloudy still hadn't made it into SOLDIER. I turned to face the others, listening in on their conversation. _Trust me, kid,_ I thought, _you don't wanna know_.

"I don't quite get the question," Zack replied.

"Um…" Cloud trailed off. I don't think he knew what he wanted to say.

"Well," Zack said, "once you join, you'll know what it's like."

Cloud immediately deflated, "If I can join, that is…"

"Don't sweat it! If I can do it, you can, too."

Hell, if _I_ could do it, Cloud could, too. Ok, so maybe I hadn't been signed up the regular way, but I'd managed to survive as a First for five months with no Mako—Cloud could easily surpass me if he joined SOLDIER. However, I didn't like the idea of _anybody_ joining the group; not with how the way things were going up until then. I shuddered at the thought. Cloud was too young for that shit.

Zack blinked as something caught his attention. I knew what it was; he'd just discovered the compound. He brought his hand to his brow to keep the sun out of his eyes and squinted in the compound's direction. He looked kinda funny doing that.

"Cloud, look," he said, pointing at it.

Cloud, of course, looked. I stayed put, watching as they slowly crept up to the cliff to spy on the Genesis—at least I assumed that's what they were—soldiers underneath. I snorted a little at Cloud. He was crouching on his hands and knees like a cat or something. Zack looked a little more dignified in his stealth—crouching on one knee.

A crunch of snow alerted me to Tseng and Ronnie's arrival. I glanced at the two, and then returned my gaze to the compound.

"That's a Mako excavation test site," Tseng informed. Ah, so that's why it resembled a Mako reactor. 'Cuz it was gonna be one. Made sense.

Zack stood up, "I'll go check it out."

"Our primary objective is to investigate Modeoheim. We can't afford to lose people here. At the same time, we can't ignore the activities of the Genesis Army. Therefore…" Tseng trailed off.

"Infiltrate while avoiding combat, right?" Zack asked knowingly.

"Exactly," Tseng replied, he nodded towards the compound, "There's an entrance at the back of the warehouse. Once you and Anubis are inside the facility, you two can do as you like."

"I have a funny feeling I just got drafted," I muttered. Tseng cast me a sideways glance, acknowledging my retort, and then looked back at the compound.

"You got it," Zack said. "I'll prove that SOLDIER isn't all about muscle and brawn. You watch carefully too, Cloud."

Cloud nodded, "Uh-huh."

Zack nodded at me and we both walked down the little path towards the compound. The compound itself was open in the front, with no gate in sight, and had short, concrete walls bordering off the perimeter. To the left on the inside was a big building; to the right was a smaller hanger-type building. Miscellaneous boxes and safety cones were strewn everywhere; whether they could be seen as obstacles or hiding spaces would depend on how Zack and I decided to progress through the compound to get to the back. It would have been easy if Tseng had allowed us to go barging in, guns a'blazin', but no. We had to be all _Metal Gear Solid_ and sneak in.

Skittering—for there was no other word for it—across the opening, Zack and I crouched down beside the wall.

"So what's the plan?" He whispered, glancing at the enemies inside.

"The dodos seem to have a certain path they're supposed to patrol. If we can wait and get that memorized, we'll know which way to go to sneak in without getting caught. I know Tseng said we weren't to lose anybody, but he didn't mention anything about silently taking out the enemy. If you're about to get caught take them out."

Zack turned to face me, surprise gracing his features, "That sounded very cold coming from someone like you."

I frowned, "I'm freezing my ass off, I'm hungry, and I'd like to get this taken care of so we can go on to Modeoheim. Besides, they're not who they used to be anymore."

"Who told you that?"

"Sephiroth."

"Figures," Zack mumbled, peeking around the corner of the wall.

A few minutes of waiting and observing, and we'd figured out the path the soldiers walked. Zack had noticed a few chests lying around and expressed his desire to open them. I'd rolled my eyes and told him to do whatever he wanted, so long as he didn't mess anything up.

Zack was to go left when we entered the compound; I was to go right. I knew to time it when the guard was walking back towards the left so I could sneak around and bolt around the back of the warehouse. When all was clear, we took off.

I crouched-walked as fast as I could to avoid being spotted by the first soldier. As soon as I was past him a good enough distance, I stood up and ran. I reached the corner of the warehouse with a few good sprints, turned it, and had to dive behind a perfectly placed crate to avoid being seen. It appeared there was another soldier patrolling the area on the other side of the warehouse _that I had not seen._

I bit my lip in anxiousness and almost cried out when pain reminded me of the cut. Letting out a shuddering breath and blinking away the tears that tried so desperately to form, I started to peek out around the corner of the crate. I caught myself, however, when I remembered my snout. Swearing internally, I yanked the thing off, catching my cell just before it thudded into the snow, and looked to see where the man was. Fate would have it that he was just making his way back towards my direction.

I had to move. Even if the soldier was walking towards me, I knew the one _behind_ me would be making his round soon and he would catch me. Taking my chances with the guard in front was better than taking them with the guard behind, since the guard behind me was out in the open and the other guards probably would see me, too.

Growling, I placed my cell phone in-between my teeth, switched my staff to my left hand, put my helmet in my right, and ran out from behind the crate. The soldier jumped in surprise, but before I allowed him to act, I flung my helmet at him. Luckily, my aim had improved since those two years I spent in softball, and my helmet crashed into his, knocking his head back. Before he was able to recover, I leapt at him.

We both grunted as I throttled him. He hit the ground hard on his back with me on top of him—knee pressed deeply onto his diaphragm. I was shocked a little when I realized I'd accidently let my claws come out, but the thought quickly vanished when the guard under me started struggling. Growling, I applied more pressure to my knee.

I was all ready to kill the man under me, but as the milliseconds ticked away, I realized I couldn't. Well, I _could_. It would have been nothing to rip his throat out, or suffocate him, or stab him; but, I didn't have the heart for it. Sure, I'd killed the Genesis clones back when Genesis' army attacked Shin-Ra, and I never once hesitated to kill a monster, but that was usually in self-defense or the defense of others. The guard below me posed no real threat to my person—especially not in his current condition.

Aggravated at myself, I drew back the hand that had been choking him and punched him with all my might. His head snapped to the side violently. I had just enough time to hop off him, point my staff at him, and fire a bolt of Thundara. The shot didn't kill him; but, it did cause him to seize.

Wasting no time, I snatched my helmet off the ground and sprinted towards the other side of the warehouse. Rounding the corner of the building, I spotted the entrance Tseng had mentioned. It was underground. Thankfully, no guards were stationed back behind the warehouse to stop me.

When I entered the hallway that led to the metal doors, my cell phone decided it had taken enough abuse from my teeth and slipped out of my mouth to land with a not-so-nice sounding crack against the metal ramp. I swore, picked it up, and stuck out my tongue when I realized I'd slobbered all over it.

"Ew," I groaned, shaking the phone in a sad attempt to get the spit off it, "Saan slobber!"

It was a wasted effort, and I didn't want to de-suit with enemies nearby, so I settled for sighing, placing the phone back on my head and slamming my helmet down to keep it still. I didn't want to think about the spit that was in my hair and vowed to take a good, long shower after the mission was complete.

Much to my surprise—and chagrin—the sounds of shouting were heard aboveground. I moaned and banged my head against the wall a few times in exasperation. It seemed Zack wasn't being as stealthy as I had told him to be.

I waited impatiently for Zack to finish doing whatever the hell he was doing up there. Soon, the shouts died out. Since I didn't hear any gunshots or sword swings, I figured everything to be all right. It was a few moments that felt like an eternity before I could hear Zack's familiar steps running in my direction. He was a little breathless as he ran down the ramp, clomping to a stop beside me. I blinked, waiting for his explanation as he bent over to catch his breath.

He huffed before standing up and facing me, "Well, that wasn't so bad."

I narrowed an eye at him, though I knew he couldn't see it, "What'd you do?"

He laughed nervously, "I kinda got caught. I ran in circles for a bit to lose them then came down here. How did things go on your end?"

"…spit," I replied cryptically.

"Huh?" Zack asked.

I didn't answer him as I walked to the doors, wondering how to open them. Luckily, I didn't have to wonder long, for as soon as I stepped close enough, they slid open. Glancing back at Zack, I waited for him to get even with me and we stepped into the compound together.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust from the blinding-white, snow-covered environment outside to the dark and dreary sight I was staring at. Zack's Mako-enhanced eyes, however, seemed to make the transition immediately.

"Oh, great," he mumbled. "There are two ways."

I blinked a few times to aid my eyes' progress and came to see what Zack was talking about. The room we had entered was humongous and spacious. Directly in front of us was a massive pipe that went from the ceiling—which I couldn't see—down through the ground. We were standing on a platform of more annoying, metal grating and off to either side diverged a path. One went right, one went left, and both went down. There were two of us, there were two paths, and I didn't see a problem.

"Well, I go left, you go right," I replied. "If the path we reach isn't the one we want, just turn around and go back down the other person's path. Simple."

"All right. Sounds like a plan."

With that, Zack and I parted ways. It didn't really feel like parting since the platform we were currently on was connected to the other platforms via a maze of staircases that were all housed in the same, humongous room. If we wanted to, we could have shouted across the chasm and reached the person on the other side.

As I walked I went down some stairs, suit clanking loudly as I did so. When I reached the next platform I inwardly cursed myself. I had a long way to go. Down another flight of stairs, a big area, stairs, platform, stairs, and finally the last big area. Why the hell someone decided to build the excavation site like they did was beyond me. Doors weren't even connected to the platforms; there was no need for so many fucking stairs and platforms.

At the end of my route, the only thing awaiting me was a weird looking tank. It looked kinda like what Hojo had back in his lab. Sighing at the realization my way was the wrong way and I was now going to have to walk up all those stairs, then down a crap-load of other stairs, I turned dejectedly. I nearly jumped out of my skin as what could only be a new Genesis clone descended in front of me.

"Holy shit, it's Myotismon!" I exclaimed, backing away from the newcomer. Why were there always monsters that appeared out of nowhere?

The new Genesis clone was really tall, almost completely clothed in leather, and seemed to have blonde hair instead of red. It looked more monstrous than its previous kin. All things considered, I came to the quick conclusion that the clone was to be no knock-off. Even if it wielded a staff instead of a sword or gun, I was testament to the fact that such weapons could do damage if wielded right. And I had a funny feeling the clone could wield a staff better than I could.

The monster didn't move, just stood there silently giving me the creepiest stare I'd ever seen. Deciding that I'd do the honors of going first, I sprinted towards the monster. That was a mistake. The monster's hand raised, the familiar light of Fira engulfing its hand. I cursed again and dodged to the right as a fireball went streaming across the area I had been standing moments before.

I had been hoping to get some close combat in, but with the discovery of this creature's fire magic skills, I figured it best to use my own magic instead. Blizzard probably would have worked better, but I didn't have that spell—nor did I want it—so Thundara was the next best thing.

Rising my staff at the monster, I fired a shot of Thundara. Then another, and another, and another before the creature finally collapsed, dead, to the floor. Sighing, I lowered my weapon. I looked around to see if any more nasties were going to pop out of nowhere before ascending the staircase.

I encountered no more enemies on my way back to Zack, which I was quite thankful for. Five casts of Cure and five casts of Thundara had depleted my magic quite low. It wasn't in danger of running out, however. Through training and missions, my ability to use magic had increased; but in the case of an emergency, I found it best to save whatever amount I had left. I still had queasy feelings when it came to drinking an Ether.

When I reached Zack, he was standing in front of an old-fashioned elevator—the kind with a metal screen door—and had a worried expression on his face. He looked at me and I realized I was the cause of his worry.

"What happened?" Zack asked.

I shrugged, "Genesis clone came out of nowhere, as usual. A few shots of Thundara took care of it. I'm guessing you could see the flashes from here…"

Zack sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "Maybe we shouldn't split up anymore, in case we run into anymore enemies. Which is very likely considering who we're dealing with."

"I'm fine Zack," I replied.

He gave me a look of disapproval.

"_Okay_," I groaned, "we'll stick together until the end." I motioned towards the elevator with my staff. "Now can we go?"

Zack nodded and we stepped into the elevator. Zack was the one to push the button to go up, so he didn't see the spiky blond running into the compound. I frowned as the doors slid shut. That damn kid was going to get himself killed if he wasn't careful.

The elevator ride was brief and what awaited us at the end of the ride was quite shocking, to say the least. Both Hollander and Genesis were in the compound, as luck would have it, and we were staring right at them. Trick was, Genesis looked in pretty bad shape and Hollander was at the end of Genesis' sword. Zack tensed up beside me, gasping at the sight.

"The JENOVA cells," Genesis demanded as he forced Hollander back across the room.

The doors opened and Zack went rushing out, drawing his sword in one easy motion. I stepped out of the elevator; I wasn't in as much of a hurry to save Hollander as Zack was. The doors slid shut immediately after I exited, much to my surprise, and descended back down. I frowned. Please don't tell me Cloud was _still_ following us.

Zack swung the blade down against Genesis', forcing the Rapier away from Hollander's neck. Hollander, the big buffoon, fell over backwards. Genesis merely stared at Zack as Zack struggled to keep his sword down and away from Hollander. I heard the doors swish back open; I cringed slightly as I knew what might come next.

Hollander bolted for the elevator.

"Stop!" I heard Cloud say.

Glancing over in that direction, I saw Cloud run towards Hollander. He grabbed him from behind, his arms wrapped tightly under Hollander's armpits. The fat man struggled with the small boy, and I figured it was only a matter of time before he overpowered him.

"Cloud!" Zack shouted as he glanced at him, "Good work!"

His praise was given too soon. The inevitable happened as Hollander managed to twist just right. He elbowed Cloud in the head, causing the cadet to stumble and fall to the floor. I cringed as his back hit hard on the metal grating. I walked around towards Genesis' back. I might not have cared what happened to Hollander, but I did care about what happened to Zack. If push came to shove—figuratively speaking—it would be best if the enemy was trapped between two people.

Genesis finally pushed Zack away—the two having simply stood there beforehand. The force of the shove almost forced Zack back into Hollander. He recovered quickly, however, and shot a hand out to both protect Hollander from Genesis and keep him from bolting again.

"But…nobody knows where the JENOVA cells are being kept!" The scientist exclaimed, trying to get around Zack, "Not even Hojo knows. You'll never find it!"

I scoffed. Hojo didn't know where Jenova was? I highly doubted that. He probably knew; he just didn't want anybody else knowing he knew. I wouldn't have put it past the sick son-of-a-bitch.

"Then I shall willing accept my fate," Genesis replied, raising his sword up and seemingly admiring it. "But, I'll take the world with me!"

In the blink of an eye, Genesis sliced the Rapier down at Zack. Zack blocked, the sound of metal on metal echoing throughout the room. Hollander, now free from Zack's attention, tried to run again.

Zack dodged another slash from Genesis. Genesis tried to thrust at him, but Zack caught his arm; likewise, Genesis grabbed onto Zack. Both were caught in a deadlock as I circled around them, watching warily for any opening that would allow me to aid Zack. At the rate they were going, I was probably going to be stuck as a spectator until the end.

Cloud had just pushed himself off the floor as Zack called out to him.

"Cloud, go!"

The blond nodded and chased after Hollander—who'd already disappeared into the elevator.

Genesis pushed himself away from Zack and sliced at him. Zack managed to block even though his back was facing Genesis. Both spun around, slicing at the air to keep the other from making a move on them. Once again, Genesis made the first move. Zack parried but Genesis managed to knock his sword into the air. Zack watched it as it twisted above him before catching it and, using his momentum, he tried to slash Genesis. Genesis blocked, however, and retaliated; Zack back-flipped away to give himself some distance from his enemy.

Genesis closed the gap slowly as I continued to try and position myself behind him. I knew he knew I was there, but he was so preoccupied with Zack, he paid me no attention. Plus, he probably didn't think I was that much of a threat.

Zack lunged at Genesis, but the red-head caught him. They struggled with one another, each trying to get the upper hand. Both swapped places, causing me to be behind Zack. I cursed.

In a somewhat dirty move, Zack head-butted Genesis. Genesis recoiled back. Zack sliced vertically, a move that was easily parried by Genesis, and then sliced horizontally. His blow never made contact as Genesis took to the skies, his wing shooting itself out of his left shoulder. It was only then I realized the damn thing had been missing the whole time. I was so caught up in the fight that I failed to notice that little, semi-important detail.

Genesis hovered down slowly a few feet in front of Zack. If it was possible to fathom, his whole aura had changed with the unveiling of that wing. He was serious then, and both Zack and I were going to be in a world of hurt. I knew I wasn't going to get away from the fight unscathed when Genesis not only looked at Zack but also me. If Zack hadn't twirled around when he was struggling with Genesis, I would have been in a better position to ambush the SOLDIER. What was done was done, and Zack and I were going to have to get our game on, or face the consequences.

With only one great stroke of his wing, Genesis was hurtling in Zack's direction. Likewise, I sprinted towards them. I might not have been as strong as Zack or Genesis, but a little help was better than none at all.

Genesis sliced at Zack. Zack raised his sword and blocked, but the momentum Genesis had gained knocked Zack back. The kid stumbled a little before regaining his balance. Genesis' hand glowed briefly before a shot of Fira flew towards Zack and me. Zack dodge-rolled away while I skidded to a stop, spinning my staff around as fast as I could. The ball of fire hit the staff and dissipated outwards, away from my body. I ran towards them.

"Anubis, get back!" Zack shouted, attacking Genesis. Genesis sidestepped it and sliced a few times at Zack in rapid succession. The boy just managed to backpedal away in time.

"Two's better than one!" I shouted back, reaching them.

Zack was on the offensive again, slicing at Genesis. Genesis parried, sending Zack stumbling back again. I brought my staff around in a wide swing, the blades aimed for his head. Genesis smacked it away with his sword. Keeping a tight hold of my staff with my left hand, I thrust my diamond towards his face. He effortlessly caught it with his left hand, staring hard at me.

"Hello, Genesis," I said through clenched teeth. He was stronger than he looked, but that was to be expected.

Because Genesis' attention was focused on me, he temporarily forgot about Zack, and that one second slip of his had Zack's sword connecting with his side. Genesis' hissed at the pain, released my staff, and kicked me away. Though it was a simple kick, I wound up stumbling a few feet away. I fell backward and turned the fall into a roll to wind up back on my feet.

Looking up, Zack and Genesis were locked in a heated sword fight, their movements a flurry of motion.

"Tch."

There was no way I could keep up with that, so I would have to wait until one of them stopped swinging long enough to make a move. My opening didn't take long to arrive, and I took it. Sprinting at Genesis, I aimed another slice of my staff at him—spinning around in a circle to gain momentum. Genesis evaded it, stepping out of harm's way. I didn't wait and swung the staff back the other way in a tighter, closer spin.

Genesis caught my staff under the ankh, one of the blades grazing his forearm, and smirked. I repeated his gesture, and let go of the staff. I hadn't released my claws when they formed back in my scuffle with the soldier guard. Raising my right arm up high, I sliced downwards, feeling the resistance against my hand as the metal points sliced into his chest. Genesis' face contorted once again in pain.

Zack, who was behind Genesis, took his chance and tried to attack him. Genesis was quick, however, and spun around, his wing and sword extended. I was smacked by the big, black wing and sent flying in a wicked twist of irony; Zack's attack was blocked by Genesis' sword. I landed painfully on the metal floor, rolling to a stop, whereas Zack caught himself with his free hand and flipped back onto his feet.

Gasping, I barely had time to duck out of the way of my own staff as the diamond nearly stabbed into my head. The staff stuck into the ground a few feet behind me. Genesis was once again fighting heatedly with Zack as I cursed and pushed myself off the ground. I went for my staff, plucking it out of the ground with a horrid screech of metal.

Zack screamed in pain. My heartbeat quickened to an unhealthy rate as a spun my head around. Zack was stumbling away from Genesis, his sword held out in front of him in a defensive manner. The blood dripping from Zack's back made me realize what had happened. Zack must have let his guard down and Genesis took the opportunity to slice his back open.

Growling, I aimed my staff at Zack and cast Cure. What came out, however, wasn't Cure, but the stronger spell Cura. I was shocked at first, but considering how much I had used the spell, it was about time that the damn rock leveled up. Immediately, Zack's face relaxed; the wound in his back closed up completely. Cura sure did wonders.

Genesis, bleeding from his side, arm, and chest, apparently had had enough of us. He hovered into the air a few inches off the ground, small circles of light—like a summon circle—appearing around his body. The three orbs of light met together in front of Genesis hand, shooting three small, spherical orbs of fire towards us.

Zack and I managed to dodge them; and it was a good thing we did. As soon as the fireballs collided with something, they sparked an even bigger explosion that carried with it a lot more damage than Fira. We were going to have to end the fight quickly because I was afraid I didn't have enough magic to use Cura twice, and Zack would be too busy trying to defeat Genesis to use the spell himself.

After his little fire stunt, he raised his hand into the air again, a green glow enveloping his body. I frowned in confusion as to what spell he'd used. It looked similar to Cure, but it wasn't because he didn't heal.

Zack cried out, rushing towards the winged SOLDIER. Zack sliced at him and Genesis blocked. The kid got about three more swings in before Genesis' wounds glowed green for a second, healing just a bit. I growled. The spell was regenerating him not healing him! It would take longer periods of time to heal him, but the job would get done if Zack and I didn't finish him soon.

All our hard work was about to be wasted! Pissed, I rushed at Genesis. Zack was pushed out of the way by one of Genesis' parries and I took that opportune moment to leap into the air. Genesis saw me flying towards him and hopped back as my diamond collided into the floor. Wrenching it out, I swung my staff diagonally up towards his face. Again, he dodged by stepping backwards. I didn't let up, however, and continued to swing wildly but precisely at him; he was pushed back.

Eventually, he got tired by my failed attacks and shot another Fira spell, only this time both balls of fire were aimed at me. I was too close to dodge or deflect with my staff, and took the brunt of the blast against my chest. The blow knocked the wind out of me briefly, but the suit held up. I managed to twist my legs downwards as I flew back and landed on my feet, sliding from the force before coming to a stop.

Zack took the opening he was given, and attacked Genesis, actually managing to slice into his abdomen. The wound was shallow, as Genesis had dodged just in time. Before he could recover, I finished Zack's blow with a shot of Thundara.

Genesis seized a little before falling to the ground on his knees. Though we hadn't finished him off, Zack and I had won the battle. We stood there, trying to catch our breath, as Genesis began reciting _LOVELESS_.

"'Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul'," He paused. "'Pride is lost'," he continued, stretching his own wing out weakly. "'Wings stripped away, the end is nigh.'"

Genesis got to his feet slowly. He grabbed at his chest and tried to take a step forward, but his legs gave out from under him and he collapsed to the ground, his wing falling slowly along with him.

I felt sorry for the guy. Yes, he was narcissist and destructive in his ways, but he had his reasons—as did we all.

Weakly, he pushed himself up a little, "Such is…the fate of a monster."

"You really believe that, don't you," I muttered quietly.

"We're not monsters, you hear me," Zack said angrily, thrusting his arm out to the side for emphasis. "We're SOLDIER! Where's your honor?"

Genesis didn't answer him as he stood up. He stumbled a little but caught himself, choosing instead to answer Zack with more _LOVELESS_.

"'Even if the morrow is barren of promises'," Genesis paused as he started limping away from us, "'Nothing shall forestall my return'."

Genesis had made his way to the railing at the boundary of the platform. He was silent a moment as he tried to catch his breath, swaying from exhaustion and blood loss.

"If this world seeks my destruction," he continued, flying up to land on the railing. He looked up at us before finishing, "…it goes with me."

The winged SOLDIER let himself fall over the railing, disappearing from our sight. Zack gasped, reaching his hand out at where Genesis once stood. He ran to the railing to look over the edge and determine Genesis' fate. I expected Genesis to come flying up from below; but it never happened.

"Genesis…" Zack said sadly.

I knew from his tone of voice he thought Genesis was gone. I wasn't as quick to believe it. Though wounded and degrading, the SOLDIER was pretty resilient, and he did have that wing of his. It wasn't unfathomable to believe he would merely wait until he was far enough down, so as not to be seen, to stop his fall and sneak away. And, there was always the fact Zack had also fallen from a great height just to walk away from it. Even with my shred of doubt, I couldn't stop the feelings of remorse that crept up inside me. Sympathy…sometimes wasn't a good thing.

We left the compound in silence, Zack's mood passing over to me so that we were both followed by a proverbial rain cloud. Once outside, the lack of familiar Turks and a blond was not missed by neither Zack nor myself.

"Tseng?" Zack asked aloud, looking around. "Hmm…Cloud's gone, too."

Looking to our left I noticed a tunnel I hadn't seen before. The remnants of giant icicles hung around the opening. The sight was more than suspicious. I nodded at it, causing Zack to look in its direction.

"Hm? I guess this is the way to Modeoheim…" he said.

"The others must have chased Hollander through there," I commented. "I don't think the scientist would have been traveling alone. Even though Genesis is gone, his clones might not be. We should be careful."

Zack nodded in agreement and we both walked towards the tunnel.

—**FFVII—**

Once we exited the mining tunnel—obvious by the tracks running through it—we came to a small town. It wasn't really a town, though, and more like a small village. The sun was setting by then, so the snow wasn't as blinding. Pine trees stuck up randomly throughout the town of Modeoheim, and I was surprised to see a telephone pole running alongside our left. It crossed over to the right once it reached the middle of town. I didn't think that was such a wise decision, but it appeared that cars weren't used here frequently—if at all.

We hadn't made it far from the mining site when Zack's cell phone went off. I giggled a little at his surprised reaction. All through the Modeo Ravine and Mako Excavation Site, the cell signals couldn't reach us. Modeoheim didn't seem to have that problem, luckily. If and when we found Hollander, we could call for help in carting his ass off to Shin-Ra. Hell, we'd have to call for help anyway considering our mode of transportation was smoldering against a mountain. I frowned as I remembered my plane had suffered a similar fate.

Zack read his text message quickly and pocketed his phone when he was finished.

"Kunsel says this place was deserted since the Mako reactor plans fell through. He also says there could be anti-Shin-Ra troops here," Zack explained.

"Kunsel?" I said thoughtfully. His name finally clicked, "Ah, yes, him. The guy who makes it his business to know everything. He's helped me out a few times."

As we walked further into the village, I could make the buildings out a lot better. There was a water tower directly across from us, a house beside that on the right, and to the left and right of us were two other buildings—one on each side. To the left of the water tower was a stable which gave me the impression the workers here had used Chocobos instead of cars to get around. It was a good idea considering the birds could handle the terrain a lot better than cars could.

Zack went towards the stables; I went towards the small building beside the water tower. As I was trying to find a way into the house without busting the door in, I noticed another building off to my right I hadn't seen before. It was down a slope, which concealed it pretty well.

Zack's, "Hey, I found money. Sweet!" was almost drowned out by my head vibrating. Stumbling backwards a bit from shock, I grasped my helmet and yanked it off. My phone fell into my hand from its perch atop my head. Perhaps putting it in my helmet wasn't such a good idea after all.

Zack's snorting laugh alerted me to the fact he'd seen what I'd done. I knew I was blushing from embarrassment at that point.

"Shut up!" I shouted, "It was the only place I could think to put it without it being confined by my suit. I didn't think the helmet would amplify the vibration of it."

"Why not?" Zack smirked, "The helmet is metal, isn't it?"

"Shut up," I reiterated.

"Okay, okay," Zack said still smiling. "The message is most likely from Lazard. I got one, too."

I frowned and opened my phone to read the message. Sure enough, it was from Lazard.

_SOLDIER members,_ it read, _I thank you for your daily hard work. Shin-Ra's rapid growth has given birth to "distortions" in many parts of our world. They are Shin-Ra's shadows—dark entities that the president and vice president must confront… That, in turn, may define us as victims of Shin-Ra's shadows. However, we, as employees of the Shin-Ra Company, must act with accountability. And I trust that you will do just that, even without my leadership. Thank you, and good luck._

"What's he talking about? Dark entities?" Zack asked, having also read the text.

I wasn't so much worried about the shadows mentioned in Lazard's message. I was focused on two sentences. _And I trust that you will do just that, even without my leadership. Thank you, and good luck._ That sounded an awful lot like a farewell. That didn't make sense, though. Lazard had said earlier in the day that he'd never once thought about leaving Shin-Ra. Was that a lie, or was I just reading too far into the message?

Sighing, I placed the phone back on my head—turning it on silent beforehand—and put the helmet back on. I returned my attention back to the new building I'd discovered. I blinked at the words printed above the door.

"Hey, look, it's a bathhouse," I said pointing at it with my finger. I blinked, digesting what I'd said, "Not…that that means… Wow, in the gutter. Ok. Let's try that again. Hey, Zack, look, a building that just so happens to be a bathhouse, perhaps they went in there since the door's kinda wide open…and stuff."

When I turned to face the kid he was looking at me with one eyebrow raised in confusion and amusement. I motioned towards the bathhouse with both arms.

"Building. Explore. Let us go."

"Oh, I got that part," Zack replied, walking towards it. "I'm just wondering what you were imagining."

I made a face, "_I _don't want to know what I was imagining."

Inside the bathhouse was completely worn down. Holes were in the walls—from what, I wasn't sure—and the corridor to our left had boarded-up windows. It was a shame such a place had to be abandoned. Then again, who would want to live in the middle of nowhere in a frigid climate? And then I remembered Alaska and figured to each his own.

Going down the corridor, we came to an archway that once again named the building we were in. Walking into that room was depressing. Mildew was all over the windows above the bath and the staircase was broken in one place, the metal twisting at such an angle that made me wonder what the hell had done that to it. It definitely wasn't corrosion.

As Zack and I were admiring the horrid off-white wallpaper that had random green crosses on it, a flutter of wings grabbed my attention. Turning around, I cried out and pointed at the Angeal clone gryphon that was descending behind Zack. With another concerned moan, I caught Zack's attention. He jumped back when he noticed the danger.

His fight with the Angeal clone didn't last very long. I would have thought him to be pretty tired because of our fight against Genesis, but he showed no signs of fatigue. His speedy recovery was most likely the work of the Mako in his veins. I was still feeling the effects from our previous battle, unfortunately.

After killing the monster, Zack spun his sword around like he usually did and placed it on his back.

"An Angeal monster…" Zack muttered. "Is the real Angeal here, too?"

"Probably," I replied, just as quiet.

Zack left me by the bath and went to climb up the stairs to the upper level. I had just put my toe into the steaming water when I heard a sound of surprise come from his lips. Twisting around quickly, I ran up the stairs to see what the matter was.

"Cloud!" Zack shouted as I made it to the top of the stairs, "Talk to me!"

The blond cadet was slowly pushing himself up as Zack stood by in case he should fall. Gravity took hold, and Cloud wound up landing on his ass, motioning to Zack he was fine when the dark-haired boy jumped in alarm.

"We're all right…" Cloud breathed.

We're? As in plural? Zack and I both tore our gaze off the blond and spotted Ronnie and Tseng. Ronnie was slouched over in a beach chair—what the hell it was doing there was beyond me—while Tseng was sitting up against the wall next to an archway that led deeper into the bathhouse.

"Tseng!" Both Zack and I exclaimed.

Shaking my head and remembering who my best friend was supposed to be, I shouted, "Ronnie!"

Zack ran to Tseng's side while I ran to Ronnie's.

"What happened?" I asked as Ronnie pushed himself up so that he was sitting.

"Tseng, Cloud, and I had thought we had Hollander by the—" Ronnie trailed off, and I knew it was because he was trying to censor himself.

He shifted so that he was sitting with his legs apart, his hands on the lower half of the chair as if he were a dog.

He grunted and continued, "But then there were two others. Angeals, I mean. Well, they had Angeal's face on them but they weren't human. They were white and silver and…just not normal." Scowling, he sat up straighter, "We tried our best, but the silver freaks ganged up on me. Past that, I dunno what happened."

I sighed. I figured at least Ronnie could hold his own against a few enemies; he still had his Fire materia after all. But, Angeal clones _weren't_ normal and Ronnie didn't have the training I did. Turks might be tough, but they weren't _that_ tough. Looking around, I noticed someone was missing.

"Wait a minute, where'd that other Infantryman go?" I asked, looking back at Ronnie.

Ronnie sighed, "For the love of all things holy, I miss my desk job…"

Raising an eyebrow I asked, "What?"

"The five of us—"

"Five of you? There were four—"

"—were standing and chatting, waiting for you guys to come out. I was talking to Lauren—"

"Lauren?"

"Yeah, that Infantryman. Anyways, I was talking to Lauren and I thought I heard Tseng's footsteps behind us, but that didn't make much sense because I noticed he was standing in front of us a few feet away, and I elbowed Laruen, and we turned, and it was like this giant bird, like, god… I think it was an Angeal clone… And it had been following us!

"I tried to drag Lauren away so we could hide behind Tseng, but… I dropped him. The next thing I know, the gryphon thing yacked up a fireball on him. Tseng finally noticed the bird, but by that time it was already pecking at…" Ronnie shuddered.

"Tseng finished it off. Right around that moment was when Hollander came running out of the Mako place where you and Zack were. Cloud was chasing after him. I think you can guess what happened after that," He finished.

Regret. It was the worst feeling out there, and I was feeling it. I couldn't stop myself from thinking about the kid I'd been calling Righty. Just that morning he'd been making jokes, and now he was dead. If I could have gotten to him in time, I probably could have saved him. If, if, if. I felt like shit.

Trying to repress my feelings, I looked towards Tseng only to find Zack was missing.

"Stay here," I commanded Ronnie, pushing myself up from my crouching position and walking towards Tseng.

"Tseng," I asked when I got to him, "where's Zack?"

Tseng looked up at me slowly before motioning to the doorway with his head, "He went after Angeal."

I went to leave through the doorway.

"Anubis," Tseng said sternly, "Zack should handle this alone."

"And I agree with you," I replied. "However, Zack can only focus on one thing at a time. If he's preoccupied with Angeal, no one will be around to stop Hollander from escaping. I'm not going to interfere with Zack, don't worry."

After leaving the bath room I came to a boiler room. I ran down the stairs, turned right to cross the room, and then up another flight of stairs, ignoring the console that operated the boiler. There was a convenient hole in the wall that led to some massive pipes outside which I figured took water down from a water tank to the boiler to heat it for the baths. I made sure to stay as close as I could to the wall because I was afraid to look over the edge. Knowing my luck, I'd slip as soon as I did so. Going back through another conveniently placed hole, I came out on top of a ventilation shaft.

"Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me," I mumbled.

Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I ran across the metal shaft, my footsteps echoing loudly across the room. I made it to the other side, thank God, and came to a corridor that turned left. As I was running down it, I just managed to catch the white coat tails from a lab coat. Growling, I picked up the pace. Hollander disappeared in a room towards the right. As I went to follow him, I realized someone was talking in the room.

I slid to a stop at the doorway and saw not only Hollander, but also Zack and Angeal in the room. Zack had his sword drawn, as did Angeal; both swords were locked together. I frowned, trying to make sense of the situation and not having any luck.

"Very good, Angeal!" Hollander exclaimed as he walked towards the two. "It is time to exact vengeance for our family's suffering!"

I frowned in confusion. What did Hollander mean by that? Were he and Angeal related or something? Zack had the same questions I did, it seemed.

"Family?" he asked.

"No!" Angeal shouted, "My father is dead!"

He knocked Zack's sword away and glared at Hollander. I licked my lip uncomfortably. Now that I looked good enough, there were some similarities in Hollander's and Angeal's appearances. Having a cracked up scientist of a father that did genetic experiments on one while one were still a fetus _would_ cause one to deny said scientist for the fatherly position in one's life.

Hollander huffed, "Fine, then do it for your mother."

"My mother's shame made her take her own life," Angeal spat.

I was horribly confused at that point. Nowhere up to that point had anyone mentioned Angeal's mother. Not even Zack mentioned her, but from the look on his face after Angeal uttered those words, I knew he knew what Angeal was talking about.

"Shame?" Hollander replied, "How terribly misguided! She should have been proud… Proud that she was the namesake of our experiment. 'Project G,' or should I say, 'Project Gillian.'"

Uh-oh. So, Sephiroth had been wrong. Project G didn't stand for Genesis, but for Gillian—Angeal's mother. If that were the case, a question remained: why did Genesis have the same attributes given to the child of this Gillian woman?

Angeal grabbed Hollander by the front of his coat, shaking him, "Don't say her name!"

"Gillian," Hollander went on, ignoring the man threatening him, "the woman implanted with JENOVA cells. Genesis, who had her genes mapped onto him during the fetal stage. Yes, Genesis was a failure, I'll admit it. But you Angeal, you were actually bred inside Gillian's body. You...you are perfection!"

So, in a sick, twisted sort of way, Genesis was sort of related to Angeal. What with part of Gillian's DNA in Genesis, too, and all. It was a little disgusting the way Hollander referred to his own son as perfection simply because he was the good result of an experiment; and how he was _bred_.

Angeal pushed Hollander away violently, tired of listening to the old man. He was battling with himself, I could see it. Anyone would be after hearing something like that.

"Zack," Angeal said after a moment, "I am perfect. A perfect…monster. My cells can absorb genetic traits, and pass them along to others."

Hollander slowly stood back up, "A two-way conduit… JENOVA'S power has passed on to you completely."

Angeal visibly twitched as he looked at Hollander. He looked down at the floor, and then started to walk away from Zack and the scientist.

"Zack, you remember what I said? About our enemy being all that creates suffering?" Angeal asked.

"Yeah…" Zack replied, voice wavering a little, "but you're not one of them."

"But I created my own suffering. Zack," Angeal turned to face him, "let me show you."

My breath caught in my chest as Zack faced Angeal. The way he was talking and the way he was acting, I had a funny feeling I knew what he planned to do. Hollander knew it, too.

"Stop it!" He shouted. "You don't know what you're doing!"

Angeal ignored the scientist and raised his hand, calling forth his clones. They appeared out of nowhere, a trick that mystified me. Something wasn't supposed to come from nothing, but unless those monsters had wicked transportation abilities, that's exactly what happened. Hollander panicked.

"Damn!" he shouted, running at Angeal with his arms outstretched and looking like a complete retard. "At least one sample!"

Angeal pushed the old man hard in the chest and sent him flying to land a few feet away on his back, wriggling around like a turtle when you tip it over. Zack turned around and faced the monsters, thinking he was supposed to fight them. He looked at me briefly, realizing I was there, before gasping as the monsters ran past him.

"Angeal!" Zack screamed as he spun back to face his friend.

The monsters collided with Angeal, wrapping themselves around him. I watched in morbid fascination as the mass engulfing Angeal glowed bright with a purple-ish light. Zack was so close he had to cover his eyes or risk getting blinded. When the light subsided, I was stunned by what I saw.

Angeal had merged with all of the monsters from before to become some strange looking creature that reminded me of a Sphinx or gryphon. In his left hand he held a shield; in his right a large trident. I was amazed that such a thing could happen. On Earth, there was no way a human could morph into such a monster. And contrary to what he thought, Angeal _was _human…or had been.

Rising up on his hind legs, Angeal thrust the trident at Zack, cutting the boy on the cheek. Zack flinched, looking up at the creature that used to be his friend. I saw a flash of white dart past in my peripheral vision. Snapping my head away from Angeal and Zack, I caught Hollander waddling his way back down the corridor and the way I'd come from. I cursed, took a quick look back towards Zack, and then raced after the fat man.

Zack had his hands full with his next fight. I prayed that both of them would come out alright, but I knew it probably wouldn't happen. Very rarely was there ever a draw in battle. Someone won; someone lost.

I chased Hollander back over the ventilation shaft, outside across the water pipes—where I tried my best not to think of falling, and down the first flight of stairs in the boiler room.

"Hey, fatty!" I called out after him, "Where you goin'?"

I contemplated telling him that Tseng and the others were still waiting where the baths were, but decided not to. It would be more delectable when he found out on his own.

Found out he did when he burst into the bath room and nearly bumped into Tseng. Tseng had a surprised look on his face as Hollander nearly ran face first into his chest. Hollander slammed on the brakes, crying out as he tried to turn and run the other way. Unfortunately for him, I had caught up. Raising my staff, I smacked him hard in the back of the head, making sure the points didn't accidently go in. Hollander grunted and fell to the floor unconscious.

Tseng blinked and looked up at me, "Was that really necessary?"

"I could've stabbed him," I replied.

Tseng sighed, "This means we'll have to carry him."

"Let Ronnie take care of that," I shrugged, waving my hand casually to the side.

"Me?" Ronnie asked from his seat on the beach chair, "I can't lift him up! I'm not _that_ strong."

"Where's Zack?"

Turning my head to the left, I noticed Cloud standing there. He had a worried look on his face as he fumbled with his rifle absentmindedly. I frowned, trying to find of a way to answer him.

"He's…fighting Angeal," I hesitated.

Cloud's eyes grew wide and he made to bolt through the doorway.

"Hold it, Spiky!" I commanded, grabbing a hold of his giant turtleneck. "Zack's got everything covered. Leave it to him. He doesn't need you there."

"But—"

"You'll die," I barked.

Cloud calmed down and looked at me. Fear was in his eyes, but he was trying his best to hide it with a glare. I didn't blame him, I knew what he was thinking and I could understand it. However, he hadn't seen what I'd seen. No way could a little army grunt stand up against Angeal with just a rifle. I didn't think the old Angeal would hurt Cloud, but I didn't know if the new Angeal's mindset had been altered due to fusing with the monsters.

"Anubis?" Tseng questioned.

I cast him a sideways glance, even though to him it just looked like I was staring at the wall.

"Angeal's…not the same as he was. Let's just say Zack has his hands tied, and I think he's the only one who can win right now. Plus…it's not right for us to interfere, remember?"

Tseng stared at me for a moment, rolling my words around in his head, before nodding.

Tseng, Ronnie, Cloud, and I waited for Zack to finish his fight with Angeal. Everyone seemed nervous—but I was, by far, the most worried. I wanted Zack to win because he was my friend, but I knew if he won, then that meant Angeal had lost…and probably worse. Something like that would tear Zack apart, and I didn't want him to suffer like that. I realized then that no one was going to win the battle…not really.

When Zack finally came back, it was clear what had happened. The Buster Sword was in his hand. Angeal had lost, and from the weight on Zack's shoulders, he was gone. Looking at the sadness rolling off Zack, I felt my own heart break.

**~Five Months Later~**

A new assignment had been given out. Zack and I, along with a whole army of SOLDIERs were to destroy an AVALANCHE base in Icicle Lodge. I wasn't too thrilled about the idea of going back to frigid lands—it brought back bad memories.

The squad that was assembled stood at attention before me as I waited for Zack to arrive. When he did, I was shocked to see he'd changed his hairstyle. It was a bittersweet hairstyle that reminded me a little of Angeal. The scar on his face from that battle showed visible since his bangs weren't there anymore. On his back hung the Buster Sword. It had been getting a real work out since Zack started wielding it.

As Zack was passing the Shin-Ra Infantrymen lined up on the side of the SOLDIERs, he paused at one of them, placing his hand on the cadet's shoulder. He said something to the boy that I couldn't make out before he continued his journey towards me.

"So, is everybody here now?" He asked as he passed in front of the group of SOLDIERs.

"Sir!" The men chorused.

He nodded at me when he reached my side then turned and faced the rest of the group.

"You're all rookies, right?" Zack asked.

"Sir! Yes sir!"

"One piece of advice…no, an order," Zack said.

He took down his sword, putting it in front of his face and resting his forehead on it while closing his eyes. I smiled a little. He lowered the sword.

"Embrace your dreams, and, whatever happens, protect your SOLDIER honor. Got it?"

"Sir!"

"We're all coming back here alive, you hear me?" He asked.

Raising the Buster Sword into the air, he paused for a few moments, most likely thinking of an old friend.

"Let's go."

**A/N: It is now 11:55 PM Thursday. Wow, just barely made it before the new day. Now I will hand this over to Risikaa and see how fast she can read and beta before I upload it –cackles evilly-.**

**Wow, time flies doesn't it? I was given a link to the Compilation timeline and now I realize how badly I fucked up in the beginning. Oh, well. I fixed the time jump in the beginning of this chapter and the one at the end. Ten months went by like the snap of my fingers. The Modeoheim incident takes place in Autumn (I chose September) and since I'm a lazy ass, Saan and Ronnie teleported through space only. The months match up to what they would be on Earth, and with Saan's b-day being August 8****th****, she is 23. Damn, I feel old. Now you know why she keeps calling everyone else 'Kid'. From here on out, I'm sticking to the timeline.**

**That being said, I'd love for you to REVIEW PLEASE. There are over 40 readers that alert and favorite this thing and yet FOUR (spelled out for emphasis) have reviewed twice for the last two chapters. I do not write this story simply for my amusement. If I wanted to amuse myself, I could simply keep the story within my head and play the same scenes over and over again. No, I want to entertain you with my own ideas and thoughts; and I demand feedback. I can't get better if you don't tell me what you like and dislike. Come on, people. Show me some love here. As fellow writers, you should know how I feel.**

_**Edit: Hoo hoo, I got a little lazy towards the end. Accidently said that Zack said something Angeal did and it was very confusing. And ignore that part about the timeline fuck up.**_


	19. Return to Junon

**A/N: Blargh. I'm bored. This chapter should have far fewer words than last since it mostly-all takes place in Junon. You should know what I'm talking about. I transcribed way past where I was supposed to and it has come to my attention that there are two to three chapters remaining in this arc. This arc? Yes, that means I'm continuing into FFVII, in case I haven't told you that previously. I also made you a little gift; however, you will not receive that until after I finish this arc.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I do, however, own Saan, Ronnie (not in this chapter), Jerry (also not in this chapter), this plot and no swimsuit. …fancy that for an image. And the time skips being five months is completely not my fault. Seriously.**

**Warning: Graphic violence. In other words, people bleed. Yay, realism.**

_**Edited on 1 November 2010 for errors and goofs**_**. **_**I'm so supposed to be doing my homework right now.**_

Five months ago, on the trip to Icicle Lodge, Shin-Ra got its ass kicked by AVALANCHE. Out of all the SOLDIERs that were sent out, Zack and I were the only two that made it out alive. The Turks were also lucky. Zack had to suffer the loss of more friends that day. To say we were in the dumps was more than an understatement.

I was so pissed off at everything. Shin-Ra, AVALANCHE, life in general. Ronnie tried to help me calm down many times, but he wound up just ticking me off more. The only relief I got from my anger was to release it on monsters whenever I took assignments; and I took a lot of assignments. Besides monster-slaying, another form of relief came from knowing Hollander was safe and sound in Junon.

I took much joy from thinking what wonderful torments the Turks could come up with for the fat scientist. As far as I was considered, everything was his fault. His desire for revenge had fucked everything up, and it was ruining everyone's lives. Justice, revenge, whatever you wanted to call it, I had nothing against it. But, when a chance existed that other people would get hurt than those that deserved retribution, it was a chance not worth taking. Hollander believed otherwise; and for that, I would never like the man.

Shin-Ra was left in chaos. Zack and I were sent on vacation to Costa del Sol. Funny how Spanish existed in a world with no Spain. The place was a resort built by Shin-Ra on the left continent, as I liked to call it. Just as its name entailed, the place was a beach kissed by the sun. A very hot, yellow beach that made me almost miss the frigid climate of Modeoheim and Icicle Lodge…almost.

The vacation was well welcomed, regardless. I could have done without the Turks' obvious snooping, but beggars couldn't be choosers. They seemed more interested in Zack than me, anyway. I preferred it that way. Why Cissnei, Tseng, and Reno were required to spy on the boy was beyond me. It was beyond Ronnie, too, believe me, I'd asked what the deal was. The Turks must have still had that 'no-sharey-secrets-with-friends' attitude. Bleh.

About late-morning, the temperature of Costa del Sol sky-rocketed, without fail, and I was reduced to a pile of smoldering Saan on the hardwood flooring of the Inn. The bed was entirely too hot to lie on. Reno just happened to be walking by as I was splayed out spread-eagle with my chin resting on a plank of wood. He did quite an amusing double-take just before leaving the room, then backtracked in his steps to stare at me. His face twisted with confusion as he tilted his head to the side.

"What in the world are you doing?" He asked, looking concerned for my mental health.

"I'm cooling off," I replied, my head bouncing with the movement of my jaw, "what does it look like I'm doing?"

Reno stared at me for a minute, blinked, and replied, "Hell if I know."

"You can_not_ seriously be about to walk out of here in that suit," I continued.

"Oh, but I can," Reno replied. "We Turks put up with a lot of extreme temperatures in these suits. You know, if you wore less, you wouldn't be so hot."

"I'm in a swimsuit," I frowned. A swimsuit with shorts for a bottom that made me look like a twelve-year-old, but a swimsuit nonetheless.

Reno grinned crookedly, "I know."

I stared blankly, "You better be damn glad it's too hot to move, Red."

"Whatever you say, Squeaky."

Narrowing my eyes at my newest nickname, I reached beside me, gripped my staff from under the bed, and started to cast Thunder. Reno yelped and quickly skittered his way out the door. Earlier during our stay, I had been accidently poked and inadvertently let out a squeak that sounded very similar to a mouse. Damn redhead had yet to let me live it down.

Shortly after Reno bolted, Cissnei stepped into the room. Looking around, she saw no one and went to leave. Just before she turned all the way around, her eyes fell to me. She took the shock a lot better than Reno had, not even flinching.

She crossed her arms over her chest like she had a habit of doing, "Have you seen Zack?"

"Nope," I replied, refusing to move. "He left earlier this morning. He probably went to the beach. He _was_ wearing his swimming trunks and all. Stylish little buggers, if I do say so myself. I want 'em…"

Cissnei cocked her head to the side, "You're a girl, how would you wear them?"

"…Like shorts? I'd just need a black top to go with them."

"You're more of a tomboy than me," she replied, smiling a little.

"Thank you," I grinned at her.

She dropped her arms, walking towards the door, "I'm going to go see if I can find Zack."

"I'll come with you," I said hastily, jumping up off the floor.

She frowned at me, "Why?"

"Why not?"

"Well, you don't like being too hot, and outside it's even hotter."

I chuckled evilly, ignoring her statement, and squeezed past her out the door. Oh, I was quite well aware of that. However, outside was Zack in swimming trunks, and even though he was too young for me, that wasn't going to stop me from looking. Shameful? Maybe, but I didn't care. Perhaps it would have been better if Sephiroth was outside in swimming trunks, but alas, I couldn't imagine the General wearing so little clothing. Besides, if he did go to the beach, the poor dear'd probably burn to the color of a lobster. We pale people tended to cook well. Which is why, I vowed to myself, that upon reaching Zack, I was quickly hiding under a beach umbrella.

Cissnei and I left the Inn and made our way to the beach. I immediately regretted leaving. The temperature outside was hotter, yes, but there was a breeze that allowed one to cool off. That wasn't the problem. The problem was I had forgotten to put on shoes, and hot rock is…well, hot. I made it three feet before the pain registered that my feet were sizzling beneath me. With a startled yelp, I took off across the stoned road and came to a stop in the shadow of one of the big, stone balls atop the staircase railing.

I heard giggling coming from behind me and I knew it was Cissnei.

"Shut up!" I growled. "I have delicate feet, okay?"

The giggles stopped, but when Cissnei passed me as she descended the stairs, I saw she was still smiling. I pouted then looked across the beach. A familiar dark-headed youth caught my eye, giving me a direction. Taking a deep breath to steel my nerves, I cried out and sprinted down the stairs. Cissnei moved out of my way, thankfully, as I hurtled down the hot steps. Changing direction, I ran towards Zack, yelling the whole way.

He didn't even stop his squats—unfazed by strangeness—as I streaked past him and dived into the shaded area behind his beach umbrella. I tumbled head over heels into the sand, rolling until I was sitting up facing the beach.

I thrust my arms into the air, "I did it! I live!"

Zack grunted at me, acknowledging my presence as he continued to do his usual thing. What his fascination with squats was was beyond me, but I figured exercise was exercise and that never hurt anyone. Unless your name was Saan and there was an exercise machine involved. Weights aren't for everyone.

I resigned myself to sitting under the beach umbrella as Cissnei finally made it down the stairs. She paused in her steps, looking at Zack.

"Suntan lotion?" She asked casually.

Such an innocent question shot me into the gutter, where I drowned for a few seconds before finding a life preserver and paddling my way out. My perverse side was in overdrive that morning, it seemed.

"No!" Zack replied, not once breaking his stride, "Nevermind that!" He looked at her, "What is this? Are they putting me out to pasture?"

I pouted again for having been left out in that sentence, but then I realized I was actually enjoying my vacation. Whereas Zack was a worry wart and wanted to know what the hell was going on at Shin-Ra and couldn't sit still because of it.

"You could use some R&R," Cissnei replied.

Zack threw up his hands, finally ceasing his habit, "I'm bored! That's it, I'm calling them."

He reached for his phone but Cissnei's next comment stopped him.

"Director Lazard's not in."

Both Zack and I looked at her in confusion. She continued.

"He's been missing for a while now. It was Lazard who was funding Hollander's research. Using the company's money."

I frowned, wrapping my arms around my legs and resting my chin on my knees. Talk about a downer. I'd never forgotten my conversation with Lazard about loyalty. It seemed he was lying back then. I didn't take him to be that sort of guy; the nasty kind. Some reason had to exist for him to do what he did. We all had our reasons. I could only pray his wasn't as petty as Hollander's or Genesis'. I didn't want to think badly of Lazard. My frown deepened when I realized I had been right about him leaving. I hated being right. I was never right about happy things.

"Are you serious?" Zack asked.

Cissnei looked away, thinking about something, "We're interrogating Hollander, so we should learn more soon."

Zack faced the beach, "What's wrong with them?"

"Hm?" Cissnei asked.

"People," Zack replied solemnly, "What are they thinking?"

"The truth lies within each person," Cissnei said cryptically. "But even the truth seems suspect once it leaves their mouths…"

"Indeed it does," I muttered.

A brief moment of silence descended upon us before Zack suddenly humphed, waving a hand at Cissnei to dismiss her.

"Cissnei, go do something," he said, reaching for his phone once again.

Cissnei watched him, amusement in her eyes before replying, "Calling Aerith?"

Zack flinched, swirling around to face her. I snickered at him. He always acted so surprised whenever someone mentioned him and the girl, but what he didn't know was nearly half the people in SOLDIER knew about Playa Zack and his little girlfriend in the Slums. No such thing as secrecy existed in Shin-Ra; especially if you had fans.

I groaned inwardly remembering my own little fan group. I didn't know where it came from or who started it, but its presence had been made known. It was to be expected, I supposed, considering I had been a SOLDIER for over a year, my suit was 'kick ass', and I was probably the only girl in the program. Luckily, the fans were well-behaved. I knew this because I hadn't been jumped in the hallways yet. They most likely thought I'd skewer them alive—also a thought shared by Sephiroth fans—and I wouldn't have had them believing otherwise. Whatever allowed me to sleep without one eye open.

"How do you know that?" Zack asked, "Am I being watched?"

"No," Cissnei replied, "she's the one being watched." Zack, and I, was obviously confused so Cissnei elaborated, "That girl is an Ancient. The only one left in the world. You didn't know?"

_Scree! _Mental train crash. Aerith was an Ancient? As in those old dead people that had special powers from the planet? Talk about the odds. Zack falling into a church that was inhabited by the last of the Ancients. It couldn't have been planned better than that. It must have really sucked to be the last of her kind. I barely stopped myself from screaming, 'Go, Zack! Procreate! You'll be a wonderful daddy! Just don't drop the kids on their heads as you do squats.' And then my face contorted with the realization I was acting like Hojo. How the Sims had ruined me!

Another realization dawned on me. I looked down at my armlet, the same armlet Aerith had stared at the first time I met the girl. My armlet was said to be from the Ancients. Was that why she looked at it so strangely? A nervousness hit my chest when I remembered. Hojo had said the armlet was found near where Jenova had been. I shivered despite the heat of Costa del Sol. Or did she look at it because it was alien? Better question: Why hadn't I thought of that before?

"She…never said anything," Zack replied, snapping me out of my thoughts. "The only one left in the world, huh… She is one of a kind."

Quickened footsteps on the staircases made me turn my head. I blinked in surprise to see Tseng running down them—in full-suit attire—towards us. Zack and Cissnei also turned to look at him, confused as to what was up. The Turk stopped beside them.

"Heads up!" He shouted, pointing rather forcefully towards the sea, "Genesis copies!"

All three of us looked and, to our amazement, three men came bursting out of the ocean. My jaw dropped as my brain processed the sight. The Genesis copies were wearing full, black scuba gear—flippers and all—and had guns. What the hell was Genesis thinking when he made them? Flippers? Really? 'I'm comin' to get you!' _Waddle waddle waddle_. That's like walking in snowshoes with no snow.

"I need to borrow this," Zack said, grabbing the beach umbrella I was sitting under and yanking it out of the ground.

He closed it and held it in his hand as if it were his sword. My jaw only dropped further.

"My sun—! I mean, my shade!" Shaking my head, I stood up as Zack sprinted towards the new enemies. "Damn you!"

I sprinted towards the group of enemies, not believing what was going on. Scuba-diving Genesis copies with flippers were attacking and Zack was fighting them with a beach umbrella while wearing swimming trunks, and I was about to join him in a swimming suit. There was no way in hell I could take the fight seriously.

And then the bullets started flying and I got serious real quick. At the first sign of danger, I wanted nothing more than to activate my suit and claw the bastards to death—since my staff was back in the Inn under the bed. However, some dumb assholes were standing around (far away so as not to be killed) watching the fight take place. It wasn't wise to show myself to the populous. I'd stopped caring long ago what the President thought about me showing myself to others; however, I didn't want strangers knowing Saan and Anubis were one in the same for personal reasons—coughfanscough—and so the suit stayed off.

Dodge-rolling to the side to avoid a small burst of gunfire from a Genesis clone, I hopped back up and delivered a hard kick to the side of the man's head. I regretted it for his helmet was a lot stronger than my foot and that was most likely going to leave a bruise, but the kick did its job and down he went. Growling, I yanked the gun out of the clone's hands and looked it over.

"How do I use this thing?" I asked.

"Pull the trigger," Zack huffed, dodging a finned kick from an adversary before beaming the man in the head with the umbrella.

"N'aw shit," I replied blankly, heading Zack's advice—no matter how obvious it was.

The recoil was a little too strong for my liking, it was an automatic after all, but at least I hit the target. Zack was remarkably deadly with a beach umbrella and killed almost as many clones as I did. In total, I counted about fourteen enemies slain. When the battle was over, both of us were a little worn out from dodging and the umbrella was pretty much torn to shreds. Zack threw it to the ground as he walked to one of the Genesis copies. The man had a strange green light misting off him. How the hell light could mist was beyond me.

"These guys are still around?" Zack asked. "But Genesis…"

Tseng walked up to us from behind, "…Maybe Genesis is still around, too."

Zack turned to look at the Turk, "Huh?"

"When the soul leaves the body," Tseng replied, "it returns to the Lifestream."

When I first heard about the Lifestream, it was when reading the books in the main library at Shin-Ra. I thought it was just religious spiel coming from harebrained scientists—fancy that for irony—but if Tseng was mentioning it, it probably existed. Tseng didn't seem the type to believe in fairy tales.

I frowned, looking down at the glowing Genesis clones. Maybe that green stuff coming off them was that Lifestream. I'd seen it come off monsters, too, but I didn't relate that to the Lifestream. Things were just getting more and more confusing; and, yet, at the same time, they were making more and more sense. Something seemed to be missing, though, and without that something, my brain wasn't making the connections.

"Yeah, and…?" Zack asked.

"The river of souls that circles our planet. Perhaps Genesis' soul is…" Tseng trailed off to allow Zack to fill-in-the-blanks.

"Controlling copies from the Lifestream? Is that what you're telling me?"

Tseng seemed a little offended by Zack's doubt and placed his hand on his hip, "It was merely a supposition. In any case, Saan's and your vacations are over."

"What?" I asked, "Why? We haven't been here that long!"

"And I'm sorry about that, Saan," Tseng replied, looking at me, "but Junon is under attack by an unknown force. Both of you are going there with me to investigate."

I pouted, tossing the clone's gun down into the sand, "Fine."

"The two of you should get changed. Reno is already waiting at the helicopter," Tseng finished before turning to leave.

I waited until he was out of earshot to groan, slumping over in defeat, "This vacation sucked."

Zack was silent, and after a moment, I turned to see what the matter was. He was thinking depressing thoughts again, I could tell from the look on his face. I narrowed my eyes at him, wishing he'd stop. He didn't need to become too old too fast, and that's exactly where he was headed.

"What if he's right?" Zack asked, mostly to himself. "About Genesis?"

I looked away, towards the stairs, and placed my hand on my hip, "What if he is? It's a little hard to fight a dead man, Zack."

"I know that, but—"

"And if he isn't dead, we'll just have to chase him off again," I looked back at him to see him scowling at me.

"You saw him fall," was all he replied with.

I chuckled once, walking towards the stairs.

"Yeah," I muttered. "And I saw you fall."

I learned a long ago that if you never saw someone die, chances are they weren't dead. If I was right about that, then I was right about Genesis, and that would make me right about two things back in Modeoheim. Trick was, I didn't know if Genesis being alive was a good thing or a bad thing to be right about.

—**FFVII—**

The last time I was in Junon I had been in an urban area surrounded by buildings. Howevern, this time we had flown in closer to the edge. To our left was a drop off that led to the ocean, to our right was buildings stacked up on top of one another like the seats in an IMAX theater, and behind us was the giant canon that so _totally_ wasn't overcompensating for something.

Awaiting us was a clear stretch of road, parts of it ablaze, and screaming masses running for cover. Why screaming masses were trying to run behind two Turks and an imposing god of death, I had no idea. Whatever worked, I supposed. Then again, half were Shin-Ra employees; they trusted us. Oh, the humanity.

"This is terrible!" Zack exclaimed.

No sooner than he had spoken did two Genesis clones come running at us. Tseng and Cissnei backed up, letting Zack and I take care of them. They didn't get paid to kill monsters and clones, why should they bother?

"Genesis copies here, too!" Zack growled, readying his sword. "They're just running wild!"

"Then perhaps we should do something about that," I replied, my grip tightening around my staff.

With a wordless command, Zack and I sprinted at the Genesis Grunts. Zack practically dove into his enemy, while I took a less personal approach. Running to the side so that the clone had to spend his time aiming instead of shooting, I loosened the grip on my staff, allowing my hand to slip towards the diamond. I swung the bladed ends of the ankh towards the clone's legs. They cut into his shins, causing him to buckle. Without stopping, I spun around, grabbing the staff with my left hand to brace for impact, and sliced through the clone's throat. He was dead in two hits; a new record.

Zack's clone was also vanquished. Tseng walked over to it and knelt down beside it.

"Hollander is currently in Junon. His presence here and this attack can't be unrelated."

"So, Genesis is trying to free Hollander?" I asked.

Zack hung his head, "It's not over, is it?"

"We'll begin evacuating the residents. Zack and Anubis, you two find Hollander and make sure he's kept safe," Tseng ordered.

"You're making us babysit Hollander? Don't you think we'd be better use on the battlefield?" Zack asked.

No matter how much I would rather fight on the battlefield than watch over that sorry S.O.B., I knew Tseng's reason for ordering us to do it. Everyone would be sent out to focus on keeping the Genesis Army at bay and no one would be left to guard the scientist. If Genesis himself were alive and tried to take Hollander, Zack and I would be the only two able to stop him. I sighed. I finally understood how Sephiroth felt being the go-to guy.

Tseng folded his arms, "Hollander has access to top-secret information. The president insists that his safety be priority one. After Director Lazard's sudden disappearance, SOLDIER's chain of command has been shaky at best. This attack is an attempt to exploit that weakness. Zack, you must protect Hollander."

"Hollander is currently being held in a detention center on the eighth level of Upper Junon. You can use the emergency elevator to go up. It's at the end of this path," Cissnei explained. "We're counting on you two."

I nodded.

"Hollander is still being interrogated," Tseng added. "He can't fall into enemy hands now."

"Understood," Zack replied.

Zack and I separated from the Turks and ran down the road. As we neared the end, three Genesis clones blocked our path. I inhaled sharply, running to the side as fast as I could.

"Dodge!" I shouted as the Grunts opened fire.

Zack was a little slower than I was with his reflexes but wasn't hit. I sprinted towards the one on the far left as they rushed towards us to fight. He raised his gun to fire at me at the same time I leapt into the air. With a cry, I descended upon him, the blades of the staff stabbing into his chest.

The momentum of the move had me falling to my knee. Looking up to locate the middle clone, who was not but two feet from me, I noticed the furthest one was aiming at me. Without thinking, I jumped up, grabbed a hold of the nearest clone's chest with my left hand, claws coming out as I did so, and swung him around between me and my attacker.

His body jerked violently as the bullet collided into his back. With a familiar sound of a sword cutting through flesh, the bullets stopped. Letting my clone fall unceremoniously to the ground, I saw that Zack had finished off the third one. Glancing down at my claws, I made a face. I was never going to get used to the blood factor of killing something.

Our victory was short-lived as yet more Genesis grunts came in place of the first group. From the looks of it, we were going to be in for the long haul. There were more clones than I could count on both hands.

"Where the hell are they all coming from?" I shouted. "They're like rabbits!"

"Shit!" Zack swore, guarding against a hail of gunfire with the blunt side of the Buster Sword.

Taking a deep breath, I sprinted into the mass of clones. It didn't take them long to surround me, which was exactly what I wanted them to do. Tightening my grip on my staff near, I positioned my arms, braced the staff against my side and used my hips to power my spin. The blades sliced into the clones unfortunate enough to be around me. I'd aimed high, and three of the clones had been hit in the neck; the other two had their helmets to thank for being alive.

Grunting at my luck, I repositioned my hands and swung my staff the other way, slicing deeply into one of the clone's abdomen. He fell to the ground as I lunged for the fifth clone. Flipping my staff around, I moved my hands down toward the ankh and thrust the diamond at him. He dodged the attack; but, I wasted no time and thrust again. He didn't dodge that one, the diamond stabbing just below his sternum. I yanked my staff out of his torso and with a strangled cry he collapsed to the ground.

Looking around, I noticed Zack was occupied with the remaining clones. I watched as he brought his sword close to his body and recognized what he was doing. It was very similar to what Link in _The Legend of Zelda_ did. Potential energy quickly became kinetic as Zack spun in a circle, slicing his enemies twice. They dropped to the ground motionless. I clapped—which sounded strange with metal-incased hands—as he placed his sword on his back.

"Very good Spin Attack, however your footwork could use a little practice," I smirked.

He huffed, frowning at me a little as he placed his hands on his hips, "That move is called Assault Twister, and at least I hit all my enemies with my technique."

My eyes widened a little. So he'd seen me spin, too, eh?

I paused before replying, "Spin Attack sounds better."

Zack sighed, looking towards the emergency elevator, "We should hurry."

I nodded and we jogged to the elevators. When we reached the sixth level, the doors opened to a sight that made my blood run cold. Two Thirds and two Seconds were lying on the ground in their own blood. At first I feared they were dead, but as I continued to look, I realized they all were still breathing. I went to run to their aid but was harshly jerked back by Zack.

"Genesis!" He asked.

Looking up I finally noticed the Genesis clone. He wasn't like any of the others we'd fought before. This one was one of the good ones—what I called those that looked the most like the original—and was wielding a massive gunblade.

"No, it's a copy!" Zack exclaimed.

He growled at it, grabbing his sword and running to fight it. I looked down at the fallen SOLDIERs then back to the clone. I remembered what happened in Icicle Lodge. I couldn't save anybody there; we were so busy trying to save ourselves. My gaze lingered on Zack as he fought the clone until I was sure he would be alright. He would be.

Swearing quietly to myself, I knelt down and cast Cura on all four of the SOLDIERs. Some of their wounds didn't close all the way, and I figured it was because so much damage had been done that the medium spell of the Restore materia couldn't handle it. Thankfully, enough of the wounds closed to prevent the men from bleeding to death.

Zack's cry made me flinch. Snapping my head around, I looked to see what was going on. Luckily Zack was fine. He seemed to have been blown back by whatever the clone was shooting from that gunblade, but it only slowed him down for a few seconds. Zack quickly regained his footing and lunged at the clone.

Turning my attention back to the SOLDIERs, I grabbed the one I was kneeling beside—a Third—and tried to drag him to the wall beside the elevator. Tried being the keyword in that sentence.

"Gyuh," I grunted, losing my balance from slipping in drying blood and almost sprawling on top of the man.

Placing him back down gently, I scooted behind him and lifted him up just enough so that I could reach under his arms. When I'd achieved that, I wrapped my arms around his chest and dragged him towards the wall. It was hard maneuvering myself between him and the wall to get him situated so he wouldn't slide and fall over, but I got it figured out and went to do the same with the other three.

Zack finished off the Genesis clone just as I was stepping back from my little line of SOLDIERs. Putting my hands on my hips, I nodded, feeling quite proud of myself. Just as Zack was walking towards me, a Third came rushing out of the elevator, narrowly avoiding one of the Seconds. I glared at him.

"Whoa," he said, doing a twirling motion to avoid stepping on the man before stopping. "Hollander has escaped the detention center!"

"What!" Zack asked in exasperation.

"Oh, yay," I mumbled.

"They attacked the detention center?" Zack asked.

"No, but security was spread thin after the attacks in the city, and he used that as an opportunity to escape," the boy explained.

"So, he found a way to escape on his own!" Zack asked. The poor kid's nerves were just about shot. After all the enemies we'd run into shortly after arriving in Junon, I could understand why.

"The timing of the attack was just too perfect," the Third defended as I secretly wondered how the fuck he saw anything. "It's very possible that Hollander is getting outside help."

I only just managed to keep from going, 'Dur.' But, the SOLDIERs stationed in Junon _were_ being stretched thin, under a lot of stress, and logic had probably flown out the window long ago.

"Which way did Hollander go?" Zack asked.

"Security cameras on the sixth level have a positive identification on Hollander. This just happens to be the sixth level, so he should be somewhere ahead. Lower Junon and Upper Junon are connected by a central passageway. To proceed to Upper Junon where Hollander is, open the central passageway gate and go straight. The large gates can be opened by pressing a switch located beside them on the wall," the Third explained.

"Thanks," Zack replied. "If you can tend to the wounded, it'll be a great help."

"Certainly!" The boy exclaimed.

"Meanwhile, Anubis, you and I will go protect Hollander from himself!"

"…yeah, okay, sure," I replied, jogging after Zack.

I still refused to call what I was doing 'protecting Hollander.' I was merely following orders. Plus, the quicker we stopped the man, the sooner the Genesis clones would stop trying to kill our men. Hopefully. On second thought, if we allowed Hollander to go, then Genesis would stop trying to get him. But, if Genesis got Hollander they'd keep making clones and trying to take revenge on Shin-Ra; thus they would continue trying to kill our men. My thoughts continued to spiral out of control as we ran towards the gates.

A familiar beep sounded from Zack's pocket and I heard him mutter something about 'stupid text messages.' We hadn't made it far down the pathway until we saw two Thirds. Their backs were facing us, swords drawn. Only seconds after I'd noticed them did they fall to the ground with a cry. Standing before them was another gun-toting Genesis clone. Pissed, I sprinted towards the man.

"Hyah!" I cried out, jumping into the air with my staff poised above my head.

I descended, blades aimed to slice straight down through the clone, only for them to bounce against and slide down off his gunblade. I fell to the ground in a crouching position. Without stopping, I swung my staff to the left. It clanged loudly against the gunblade. I swung back towards the right, once again having my attack blocked.

The clone and I continued our little dance as I forced him away from the fallen SOLDIERs. Growling, I tried to bring my staff straight down, but I was too close and the clone blocked my staff. Our weapons were locked together at that point. The head of my staff was keeping his sword from sliding up any further; his sword was keeping my staff from slipping low enough for the blades to slice into his head. I tried to force my staff closer, but the clone was stronger than I was, and with a swing of his mighty sword, I was pushed, stumbling backwards.

"Take care of the SOLDIERs!" Zack shouted at me, quickly taking my place against the clone.

I growled angrily at my inability to do any damage to the enemy, but decided it was better to let Zack handle it. He was physically stronger than me, after all. His chances to beat the man were way higher than mine, especially since he'd defeated one recently.

Turning my attention from the fight, I cast Cura on the two fallen Thirds and proceeded to do the same to them that I'd done to the first four SOLDIERs I'd healed. It didn't take me long to lean the men against the barrier to our right—the one keeping people from falling to the level below. Making sure they weren't going to slide and fall over, I turned my attention back to Zack.

The clone was in serious condition, Zack's Buster Sword having done its job effortlessly. It wasn't long before the creature fell lifeless to the ground. I walked to Zack. He placed his sword on his back, looking at me.

"Are they alright?" He asked.

"They'll live," I replied. "They weren't as injured as the first group."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to leave them there like that?"

I looked back at them, my gaze lingering a moment before I refaced Zack, "They should be. I don't think the clones will mess with them since they're unresponsive. Plus, they're out of the way. The clones tend to only attack those that try to stop them."

Zack nodded thoughtfully before turning to face the gates, "Come on, let's go. The more time that passes the less likely we'll find Hollander."

We resumed our path to the gates. We didn't make it far before a certain dark-haired man in a white lab coat came from one of the alleys near them. Zack and I paused in alarm. Speak of the devil…

"Hollander!" Zack shouted.

"Hey, Shithead!" I added.

Zack gave me a look, shaking his head before looking back at Hollander, "Stop right there!"

Hollander turned, spotted us, and ran away. Figures. No one ever wanted people to catch them.

"You're not getting away!" Zack called after him as we followed full-steam ahead.

Luckily, we had air brakes to go with that steam. Another Gunblade Clone made itself known, popping up behind us. I didn't know where the Genesis clones got their magical appearing abilities, but they were really starting to piss me off. How many minions did one man need, anyway? Seriously, the Genesis Army's numbers were getting ridiculous.

As we turned, the clone raised his gunblade up and fired one of the giant shells from the revolving chamber. I didn't have time to react as the shell flew at Zack. The boy was quick, though, and blocked the attack with the broad side of the Buster Sword. The sword may have been enormous and unwieldy to most, but it came in handy for someone like Zack—and Angeal before him.

"Hey, watch it!" Zack shouted.

The clone didn't reply—they never did—as a Genesis Grunt ran up to aid his comrade. Zack groaned.

"We're in a hurry here! Don't get in the way!"

"Take care of the big guy," I commanded Zack. "I'll handle the little one."

"Right," Zack nodded.

We both ran at our respective enemies. I could hear the Buster Sword colliding viciously with the gunblade as I reached the Grunt. He raised his gun up to fire, but I smacked it away with the head of my staff. Without breaking stride, I raised my left hand into the air and sliced him across his chest. I kneed him in the stomach, causing him to double over, and then backed away just enough to stab him in the back with my diamond.

The Grunt fell to the ground as I turned my attention to Zack's fight. The clone's back was facing me and all his attention was on Zack. I took the opportunity and threw my staff at his back. The staff's blades embedded between his shoulder blades. The clone jerked rigidly, his arms dropping slightly. Zack sliced him across the chest, finishing him off. The clone spun limply from the force of the blow and fell to the ground face-first.

I walked over to him and wrenched my staff out of his back roughly. With Hollander's whereabouts known, I was even more determined to catch him. The end of the attack on Junon was nearing, I could sense it, and if I could make it come any faster, I would. Zack and I jogged to the gates. We had made it, finally. My victory dance never came.

As Zack went to press the button, a burst of gunfire from behind us forced him back. Zack jumped to the side in alarm. Swearing, I swirled around, flinching as I felt bullets collide with the side of my suit and left arm. I dropped to the ground, landing roughly on my right side, to prevent any more damage. The last thing I needed was my suit to de-activate in the middle of a barrage and me end up like Swiss cheese.

I pushed myself up, staying low, and ran away from the button. After the initial shock at having been shot at, I stopped running and turned to face the enemies. Yet another Gunblade Clone and two Genesis Grunts. Looking down at the suit, I saw the cracks and dents made from the bullets—one was even still stuck inside it just beneath my ribs on the side. Scowling, I gripped the thing with the claws on my left thumb and pointer finger and ripped it out.

"Well, then," I muttered, letting the bullet drop to the ground. I looked back up at the clones, "That wasn't very nice."

"These guys are really starting to annoy me!" Zack shouted at the enemies, drawing his sword for who-knows-what time that day. I had a feeling he'd be drawing it many more times, too.

"Same plan as before?" I asked him as I stood across from him on the other side of the clones.

Zack nodded. He lunged at the Gunblade Clone, pushing him back, as I targeted the Grunt closest to me. I felt a little bad for the little Grunts. Back on Earth, swords were obsolete and guns were the only weapons—save the occasional knife—used. However, on Gaia, even though it was as advanced as Earth in some areas, swords had yet to pass on the torch. Because of that, the Grunts were wasting their precious time during battle trying to aim a gun while their opponents were using that time to close the distance and strike. They really had no chance.

Though I pitied their situation in battle, that didn't stop me from striking anyway. The Grunt backed away from me as I approached him. He wasn't fast enough to get out of my staff's reach, however, and as I swung my staff towards the left, it sliced across the knuckles on his hand. The clone paused to fumble with his gun, his hand bleeding profusely. I brought my staff back around and sliced him across the chest. The clone spun around and fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Not one to prologue my victims' suffering, I stabbed the middle blade through the back of his neck, severing his spinal cord and effectively killing him.

I flinched when I heard gunfire from my right. Growling, I extended my staff in the direction the sound was coming from and fired a bolt of Thundara. A bullet ricocheted off my shoulder as the electric attack collided with the last Grunt, knocking him off his feet and sending him flying. He landed a few feet away from where he'd been standing—dead. I cringed a little. The more I used my magic, the stronger it got. I would have to watch myself in the event I tried to subdue someone and accidently fired a spell too strongly. I didn't want to have to cast Life more than was necessary. Just because I had Life didn't mean I should take life for granted.

A particularly loud slicing noise got my attention and I looked over to see Zack's Genesis clone fall to the ground. We didn't bother speaking. Time was against us. Zack walked over to the button, pushed it—this time without altercation—and we strode into the big empty area within. Hollander was already on the other side of the room, if one could call it a room, and was fast approaching another button on the wall. He was still trying to escape.

"Stop, Hollander!" Zack shouted.

The scientist turned around and moved in a way I thought looked like an annoyed jerk. He humphed at us and resumed his running. Reaching the far wall, he pushed the button that controlled the next set of gates. Zack and I were still pretty far away when we skid to a stop. As the gates slowly moved up, a tan tank with red hatch and some strange doohickey on the back of it rolled its way slowly in. It was smaller than Earth's but size didn't always matter when it came to Gaia's weapons. Case in point: Materia.

Hollander slipped outside the gate just as it was closing. As the tank continued to approach, it fired six flying machines from the thing on the back of it. They hovered around it like annoying bugs. I had no idea what they were supposed to be.

Zack drew his sword. It was already heavily stained with blood and oil was about to be added to the red smears. I glanced down at my own weapon and noticed it wasn't in better-off shape. The light twinkling through the blood-stained diamond was eerie and morbid. I shuddered.

"Some kind of new tank!" Zack asked, exasperation lacing his voice. "Damn that Hollander!"

"Zack," I said, "I don't know how much magic I have left, or how strong this thing is, but if you focus on the flying machines, I can at least whittle down this thing's health. It'll make the fight a lot shorter and we might be able to catch up to Hollander again."

Zack chuckled lightly, "You'd make a good commander."

"Too much stress," I replied, readying myself. "Strategist is more my style."

The tank got tired of waiting and fired a small burst of gunfire from the tiny Gatling gun between its treads. Zack and I easily dodged the attack, but it spooked me a little. I hadn't seen the gun until it started lighting up. Smacking a flying robot out of my way, I ran towards the side of the tank.

It was quite a switch from fighting human enemies to machines. Human enemies had faster reflexes and always tried to block attacks; whereas machines tended to stand there and take the pain that was dished out to them. The tank was no exception and since it was so slow, even when swiveling, it was quite plausible we could win the fight without getting injured at all.

I was able to get right beside the tank. Placing my staff as close as I could to the hull without touching it, I cast multiple shots of Thundara. I didn't want to touch the hull because the electric current could jump back, travel up my rod, and shock me, too. I only managed to get three shots in before I realized my magic was dangerously low. Swearing, I followed the tank as it swiveled around to prevent it from locking on to me with its canon. It fired once at Zack, already, but the kid side-stepped the shell quickly and the aim was way off. The tank was more of a nuisance than it was a threat.

"Zack!" He was on the other side of the tank a few feet off as I called out to him, "I'm out of— _Yipe!_"

Jerking from the electrical shock I'd just received, I shook it off and snapped my head around. Above me hovered one of the flying robots. Growling, I smacked it with my staff, sending the annoyance flying. It crashed to the floor and broke, sparking.

"Take care of the little flying things, then," Zack said. "I've got plenty of magic left."

"Alright," I replied, zeroing in on one of the robots and sprinting at it.

The tiny robots were as equally annoying as bugs, even if they didn't resemble insects at all. I swung multiple times at the robot, batting it away. I knew I was doing damage, but it wasn't enough. Growling at the infernal thing, I changed tactics and aimed at it with the blades of my staff. They sliced through the metal easily enough and the robot crashed to the ground just as its brethren had. Zack had fired two Thundara shots at the tank in the time it took me to finish off one little robot.

I moved onto the next robot. Using the blades of my staff proved more effective against the tiny enemies, though if I thought about it that seemed kind of obvious. After vanquishing my second flyer, I went to move onto my third and final remaining flyer. Only when Zack called out to me did I realize I hadn't been paying attention to the bigger problem.

"Look out!" he shouted.

Taking heed, I backpedaled just in time. The shell the tank had aimed at me passed in front of me by a foot. It exploded far enough away that I wasn't hit by the blast, but the damage to my nerves had been done.

"Thank you," I replied weakly before resuming my pursuit of the flyer.

I ran around the tank to where the flyer hovered behind Zack. It shocked him before I could reach it, breaking his fourth cast of Thundara. I cringed.

"Sorry," I said, slicing at the robot.

I had to slice it a few times before it fell. It clattered to the ground harmlessly. I turned my attention back to the tank. With my magic all but gone, I was pretty much useless for the rest of the fight. Zack might have had no qualms slicing the machine wildly until it exploded, but I personally didn't find that plan very good. Plus, it was time consuming, and Zack was shocking the hell out of it. If I'd try to attack it, I'd do little to no damage and severely injure myself.

With the ninth cast of Thundara, the tank exploded. It wasn't a very impressive explosion, just minor fireballs concentrated on the inside of the machine, but perhaps that was for the best. A big explosion would have meant serious injury for those fighting it.

The gate behind us groaned loudly as it slowly started to rise. Zack and I turned to see Tseng and two Thirds enter. He walked to us, the Thirds staying respectfully a few feet away.

"We've been able to contain the enemies in this area," Tseng said. "If we lock this door, we can hold the enemy off. We'll move the evacuated residents here, for now."

As if on cue, said residents started clamoring in from the still-open gate. There were quite a few people pouring in. I looked nervously to the destroyed tank. Surely none of them would try to play with it.

"Looks like things are going smoothly on your side," Zack replied. "We, on the other hand, let Hollander escape."

"Don't say it like that," I muttered. "It's not like we had an option or did it on purpose."

Zack sighed, "True." He looked at me, "We should get going."

"We're counting on you," Tseng added.

Taking Tseng's words of encouragement, we walked towards the far side of the area. We hadn't made it far before Zack's phone beeped with another text message. He grunted. I snickered.

"Why don't you hurry up and read your messages? You can read and walk at the same time, can't you?" I teased.

Zack gave me a look, "Yes. As a matter of fact, I can."

My grin widened, "Good! You're more talented than Ronnie, then. Poor dear can't even think and text at the same time without screwing up."

Zack took out his phone and did as I suggested. As we walked, I noticed a familiar head of spiky, blond hair. Without a word, I changed my direction; I wasn't surprised when Zack followed. In that way he was like Ronnie.

When preoccupied with something, Ronnie tended to follow the closest person to him. The habit led to an amusing blunder one year when my brother came up from Florida to Tennessee to visit. Samuel had been wearing a camouflage hat, and Ronnie—texting as usual—followed after a man wearing an identical hat. Only when he got outside the airport and asked 'Samuel' where he was going did he realize—after the man turned around—that he hadn't followed Samuel after all. He came back into the airport, reached me, and placed his head on my shoulder. I still refused to let him live that down.

Zack was still reading his messages when we reached Cloud, who was bent over, hand against the wall and looking anything but healthy. Zack stopped when I did, but refused to look up from his screen. I rolled my eyes and smacked him in the stomach with the back of my left hand, barely avoiding the giant belt SOLDIER Firsts wore with their uniforms. Frowning I realized I didn't wear one. Then I remembered the frequency of which my suit came on and off and the fact that it tried to cover any clothing I wore when activating. It wouldn't have been practical for me to wear that belt.

Zack grunted a little and gave me a confused look. I nodded toward the spiky-headed kid and Zack turned to look. He frowned when he saw the state the blond was in.

Without pocketing his phone he asked, "Hey, are you all right?"

"Y-yeah…" Cloud replied, sounding sick. He pushed off the wall and faced us, "On the helicopter… I got a little nauseous…"

Ha! That was another thing that reminded me of Ronnie. Motion sickness. He was fine as long as he was driving, but as soon as he wasn't he had to either be in the passenger seat or the middle of the back seat. Luckily, the only time I got motion sickness was on spinning rides at the fair or merry-go-rounds.

Zack pocketed his phone, his face suddenly lighting up with recognition, "Hey, you're Cloud!"

I smacked my mouth, dragging my hand down it. I couldn't reach my forehead so I went for the next best thing. I didn't feel so bad about Zack forgetting me the first time he'd seen Anubis anymore. It seemed he was that way with a lot of people.

"Wow," Cloud said, "you remembered me."

"Of course I remember!" Zack said proudly, putting his hands on his hips. "I'm happy to be working with you again."

"Well, technically we're not working _with_ him. Just _beside_ him… Ya know?" I asked.

Zack looked at me blankly, "Thank you for that correction."

"You're welcome," I replied, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Yeah," Cloud muttered, "although my work is a little dull."

"What are you talking about?" Zack asked. "Rescue work is an important task! Anyway, once we're all done, let's go grab a bit to eat—my treat."

"Really?" Cloud perked up a little. "That would be great! Once I'm feeling better, I'd love to go. But right now…" He trailed off, his face getting paler, "Just thinking about food is making me…" He groaned, "I'm sorry, Zack…"

Zack laughed, "Don't worry about it. Hope you feel better."

"Uh, Zack," I said, looking over at Tseng. "I think we should go. Tseng's…kinda starin' at us. In a very intimidating kind of way."

Zack looked past me to see Tseng was indeed staring at us as if he could mentally control us to move our asses towards the gates.

"Right," Zack replied. "Take care, Cloud."

Cloud grunted back, already having resumed his previous posture against the wall. Zack and I walked to the button that operated the gates Hollander had escaped under. He pushed the button and they rose slowly into the air. Stepping outside to the other side of Junon, Zack stopped me before I could continue.

"Here," He said, handing me a vial of red liquid as the gate started to close behind us.

Where the hell he pulled the vial from, I had no idea. I took it gingerly, turning it around in my hand to see if there were any labels on it; there weren't any. I made a face at it, earning a laugh from Zack. Casting my eyes up to him, I stared waiting for him to tell me what it was.

"You said you were out of magic," Zack said. "It's an Ether. Drink it."

"No," I replied sternly. "You weren't there that day I vehemently protested against drinking this crap."

I held the bottle back to Zack; he refused to take it. Folding his arms across his chest he gave me a stern look. The kind of look that a father gives an unruly child. That was quite an amusing image considering he was six years younger than me.

"Who knows how many enemies are waiting for us," he said. "You need your magic restored in case more machines appear. How did you handle all your other missions without Ethers?"

I paused, thinking my answer over, "I learned to use my staff efficiently and took naps."

"Well we don't have time for you to take a power nap. Just drink the Ether."

I took a deep breath, looked at the corked bottle, and whined. He had a point, no matter how much I wanted to deny it. I went to uncork it and realized my claws were still out—and the left one was still covered in dried blood. Sticking my tongue out, I switched hands and used my right hand's claws to pull the thing out. With another hesitant breath, I pretended to toast the glass bottle to Zack.

"Cheers," I said.

I put the bottle to my lips and began to drink…and gagged. Ethers tasted nothing like Potions and a vague recollection of Red Bull flashed through my mind. I tried to take the Ether away from my mouth to spit out the foul liquid but Zack was faster than I and his hand quickly flew up to keep the bottle in place. I was too shocked to glare at him as the liquid got down my throat to rest innocently in my stomach. Zack, satisfied that the Ether was drunk, removed his hand. Ripping the bottle from my mouth I coughed.

"You ass," I managed to get out between coughs.

He smirked and went to say something but something caught his attention. He looked away and gasped a little. I followed his gaze and saw Hollander down at the end of the path in front of yet another gate. Junon had way too many gates for my liking.

"That way is the…airbase!" Zack exclaimed.

"Wait, so the airbase is in Junon but Shin-Ra's main headquarters are in Midgar? What the fuck kind of sense does that make?" I asked no one in particular. My voice came out scratchy from coughing.

"Is he planning a getaway by air!" Zack asked, looking at me in alarm.

"Well, he _is_ running for the airbase so there is a good possibility that's what he intends to do."

"This is bad!" Zack shouted as he took off down the pathway. I followed him.

I didn't feel any more magical after having drank the Ether, but I did have a headache. I'd come to the conclusion that magic ran on the mental 'power' of an individual as well as training with Materia. So, if my theory was correct, Ethers were like five hour energy shots—giving the user a mind boost. That would explain the headache and the horrid Red Bull taste.

Hollander had made his way to the button. He pushed it and turned to face us. He laughed, calling out to us.

"Are you sure it's me you should be concerned about?"

Hearing a strange mechanical whirring sound behind us, Zack and I stopped in our tracks and spun around to see two robots descend behind us. They hovered in the air, the bottom half of them nothing but a big ball and the top part poorly modeled after a human. I could barely make out a drill-shaped nose from the angle they were facing.

"If you don't stop these things," Hollander shouted, "what will become of Junon?"

I looked over my shoulder to see Hollander dashing under the gate as it opened. I could have chased after him, but more and more robots were literally falling from the sky. Plus, those annoying vacuum-cleaner robots were pouring out from the alleys beside the buildings. Leaving Zack by his lonesome wouldn't have been a nice thing to do.

"Damn!" Zack yelled. "You underhanded snake! You're destroying the gate to attack civilians? I won't let that happen!"

Before I could respond, Zack was running towards the robots that were headed for the gate.

"That Hollander," I heard him shout. "When I catch him, I'll deck him but good!"

Scrunching my face up at Zack's use of poor grammar—how can you goodly deck someone?—I chased after him. He was busy hacking away at the Ball Robots that he didn't notice the Vacuum Cleaners chasing after him. Well, more like skating after him, their feet had wheels on the bottom allowing them to effortlessly glide along the ground. It made them hella hard to hit sometimes.

It didn't take me long to reach them. Simply stabbing them with my diamond destroyed them. I turned to face the horde of robots coming towards Zack and me—and ultimately the gate protecting the civilians. I whimpered. Boy was there a lot of them.

"Take care of the Metal Saucers!" Zack shouted as he finished off his robots. "I've got the Crazy Saws!"

"Such interesting names," I muttered, running around a 'Crazy Saw' that had approached me and spearing the Metal Saucer that was skating behind it.

The Crazy Saw spun in a circle and tried to smack me but I dodged. Zack reached it and sliced into it, his sword cutting effortlessly through its chest. The attack didn't kill it, but I knew it wouldn't be long before Zack destroyed the machine. Leaving Zack to fight what he'd said he would, I zigzagged around Crazy Saws left and right to stab at the Metal Saucers that were between me and the airbase gate. I felt a little like an exterminator stomping on bugs.

When all was said and done, I counted eighteen dead Metal Saucers. Zack was slower than me in dispatching his enemies but that was to be expected given what he was fighting was stronger. I helped him get rid of the rest; stabbing them with my diamond instead of resorting to magic. Zack's previous warnings still ran through my head, so I wanted to conserve my magic. I really didn't like the taste of Ethers.

Eighteen dead Metal Saucers, twelve dead Crazy Saws. In total, Hollander had sent thirty enemies after us. Of course, that wasn't counting all the Genesis clones and the tank we'd defeated so far that day. He really didn't want to get caught.

Zack spun his sword—his little victory dance—and placed it on his back, "Excellent! Looks like we got them all!"

"Hopefully," I gasped. Zack's stamina was far more than mine would ever be. Mako-infused blood gives one that handy little ability.

Zack faced the gate to the airbase, "Damn you, Hollander! I won't let you get away with this!"

"He can't hear you; you know that, right?" I asked, standing up from where I had been bent over, my hands on my knees.

"Yeah, but it helps ease the frustration a little," he replied.

"And heroes must _always_ announce how pissed off they are at the bad guys," I continued.

"Exactly," Zack nodded. "Let's go. Hopefully Hollander hasn't taken off yet."

_Well, he did wait long enough for you to shove that Ether down my throat_, I thought bitterly but kept that to myself. We ran to the gate leading to the airbase. Zack pressed the button as I looked down at my feet. On the ground read, in all caps, "AIRPORT AREA. CONTROL ROOM/CARRIER DECK/HANGAR."

It stood to reason that here was where Scarlet's group had brought my plane long ago…from a galaxy far, far away. If I'd known that, I wouldn't have gone trekking all the way to Midgar and instead would have headed for Junon. However, my destiny would have played out differently and, instead of standing beside Zack waiting for some slow ass doors to rise, I would have been a Chocobo farm girl. I wasn't going to complain.

When the gate was high enough, Zack and I ran under it. Beyond the gate was a wide, open area surrounded by metal fences. Our path led to a giant lift that would take us to the tarmac and towards the left I could see an airship hovering in the air; it was tied to the tarmac with a chain.

That was the first time I ever saw an airship on Gaia. It was quite interesting. There were components on it that were modern, like on Earth, but it seemed to be propelled by actual propellers—something that went out of style on Earth long ago for the quicker, faster jet engines. As we walked onto the lift and Zack turned it on, I wondered how the airships on Gaia were flown. Did they use joysticks, or did they use some other form of control?

The lift shuddered to a stop when we reached the top. Stepping onto the tarmac, we looked around for Hollander. Hearing metal sliding behind me, I looked over my shoulder.

"Shit!" I swore, readying my weapon.

Behind us opened a big, metal gate and out of it came a giant, red scorpion looking machine. I would have mistaken it for a red Black Widow, but it had more legs and an ominous looking drill tail at the end of it. Zack, hearing me swear, stopped and looked to see what the matter was. He also jerked in surprise, immediately drawing his weapon.

The machine clonked along the ground before it leaped into the air and landed with a loud thud in front of us. It was at that point that I was very thankful I saved my magic. I was sure going to need it for this fight.

"Now it's scorpion mechs!" Zack asked. "Get out of our way, or else!"

"I don't think it's listening," I replied, quickly sidestepping as the machine raised its gun arms.

Quickly sidestepping turned into yelling and running as a hail of machine gun fire erupted between us. Zack went one way, I went the other. Spinning around, I pointed my staff's blades at the Scorpion. I knew from its size alone, and from my previous encounter with its Black Widow cousin, that the bad boy wasn't going to be easily taken care of. The bullets could be dodged easily enough as long as I kept an eye out for where its arms were aiming; the legs wouldn't be a problem if I stayed far enough away. The tail was the only thing I was worried about. Hoping for a quicker victory, I fired a shot of Thundaga at the Scorpion.

The robot only flinched a bit before it rotated itself to aim its guns at me. I swore and darted to the side, continuing to do so until the machine got tired of trying to move and fired its rounds at nothing. I almost ran into Zack as he cast a shot of Thundara at it.

"Glad I gave you that Ether now?" Zack asked, charging up another Thundara.

"Shut up," I snapped as he let the spell fly.

Zack and I kept ourselves to the side or behind the Scorpion and continued to cast Thundaga and Thundara on it. I got two blasts of Thundaga in, Zack: one shot of Thundara, before the machine started to turn around again. I yelped as the machine swiveled faster than I'd expected. Ducking, I managed to avoid the bullets as they flew over my head. Remembering the Scorpion's front legs, I scooted back as fast as I could.

Zack fired his forth shot of Thundara from his position safely behind the monster. Running to the left, I fired my forth shot of Thundaga at its side. It was my last shot of Thundaga, as I'd run out of magic to cast the powerful spell again. The machine began to swivel towards me. I figured it liked trying to attack me since I was the one causing the most damage to it. It jerked slightly with Zack's fifth Thundara attack.

I prepared myself to dodge for the Scorpion's next hail of gunfire, but it never came. Instead, a strange electrical bubble radiated from it. Zack yelped as he was pushed back by the attack. Sparks of electricity bounced off the metal on his uniform and sword. I assumed the move had been some sort of EM pulse. Ignoring the Scorpion, I tried to go to Zack. Though I didn't have enough magic to cast Thundaga anymore, I could still cast Cure or Cura if Zack needed it.

"Are you alright?" I called out to him.

Ignoring the Scorpion was my worst mistake. As I approached it trying to approach Zack, its tail raised above its head. Realizing my blunder, I tried backed away quickly, fearing it would spear me. Instead, the tail stayed poised in the air. I looked at it in confusion. My brain barely registered Zack's cry of warning before a laser beams shot from the Scorpion's tail, drawing a line across the ground in front of me.

In less than a second the ground at my feet exploded and I was sent flying back. I could feel myself ragdoll through the air. I hit something—painfully—before thudding loudly on the ground, taking whatever I crashed into with me. My ears were ringing, trying their damnedest to muffle Zack's shouts of concern. Moaning, I moved my limbs one by one. I was both surprised and grateful when I felt them all still there. I was a little more surprised when I realized my suit had deactivated. That may have explained why it hurt so much to hit the ground.

"Anubis!" Zack called out from somewhere behind me. "Saan!"

"Ow…" I groaned, hoping it was loud enough for him to hear me.

Moving my head to the right to see if I could find my staff, I came face-to-metaphorical-face with a barrel. Squinting at it through my blurred vision I recognized the red symbol on it. It was the exploding kind of barrel. I tried to push myself away from it, fearing it would somehow explode simply because I knocked into it. I didn't push far; I was more than sore. Plopping back down on the ground, I groaned and rolled over to see Zack's head pop into my line of vision. He looked so worried. I didn't wonder why.

His hand glowed with a green light before he aimed it at me. Immediately I felt Cure work its miracles. It didn't heal me all the way, but at least enough damage was fixed so I could move without intense pain. Zack helped me to my feet, once again asking if I was ok.

With my brain able to think of something other than, "O_w_," and, "_Oh, shit, explosion_," I was able to come up with a plan. A very flashy plan.

"The barrel," I said, wincing as my throat sounded raw. I coughed to clear it. Blinking rapidly I noticed my staff had landed to my left when I went flying.

"What?" Zack asked herding me away from said barrel as the Scorpion tried to pump us full of lead.

I stumbled but kept up with him, snatching my staff off the ground as we went, "The barrel. We can use it to blow up the robot."

"You're insane."

"Consider it payback for it blowing me up," I said, pulling my arm out of Zack's grasp as the Scorpion started to rotate again. "You push it under the robot; I'll blow it up with Thunder. I at least have that much magic left."

Zack sighed, but dived for the barrel, dodging more bullets. He got behind the barrel and kicked it hard towards the robot. I watched it roll, positioning myself so I wouldn't get attacked while focusing on it instead of the Scorpion. The barrel, thankfully, rolled past the machines legs and came to rest under it. Not wasting any time, I got just close enough so that Thunder would reach, ducked down for better aim, and fired.

Remembering all the times I'd messed with fireworks as a kid, I took off running. Better safe than sorry. Zack seemed to share my thought as he was also running across the tarmac for safety. The explosion wasn't as big as I'd hoped, but when I turned and saw the aftermath, it had done the job. The Scorpion was sparking badly, the mechanics that held it up blown apart so that it was a huddled mess on the concrete.

"Yatta!" I shouted, throwing my arms into the air.

Wincing as pain shot through my side, I lowered them. Looking down, I saw a dark bruise shining through a tear in my green shirt. I probably got it when I collided with the barrel…damn thing. Noticing I could see my shirt, I quickly activated my Anubis suit. It came on without hesitation, all previous damage seemingly wiped away like words on a white board.

Zack jogged past me, "Hollander must be that way. Man, enough is enough!"

I followed after him. The tarmac was huge, as it should be for large airships, but we found Hollander without much difficulty. His white lab coat was a dead giveaway. The man was beyond exhausted, that much was obvious as we quickly caught up with his waddling form. Hollander heard our footsteps behind him and turned around.

"That's far enough!" Zack shouted to him as we forced Hollander against the edge of the tarmac.

The scientist looked behind him to the sea that waited below. He faced us again, a smug look on his face. Realization dawned on me. It wasn't hard to figure out what Hollander was up to when he had such a shitty poker face.

"Really?" Hollander asked tauntingly. "You sure?"

He spread his arms out, his gaze never once leaving ours.

"Zack!" I shouted, "Stop him!"

My command only confused the boy instead of spring him into action. Hollander let himself drop over the edge of the tarmac.

"Hey!" Zack shouted.

We ran towards the edge. Before we could get there, Hollander rose above it, escorted by two Genesis clones. I would have made a crack about how it took two to carry his fat ass, but the situation was a little too serious.

"And there he goes…" I mumbled.

"Tch! Should have known…" Zack replied.

I jumped a little as Tseng and Cissnei ran past us, both looking up at Hollander's retreating figure into the sunset—a romance cliché gone horrible wrong. Zack growled, angry and frustrated. I was too sore to be either; and, I'd come to believe Hollander escaping after the hell we'd been put through was just how my luck ran. A deep, familiar voice made me turn around.

"Mission failed. This goes on your permanent record."

Zack turned around with a sound of surprise, "Sephiroth?"

Indeed, the General had appeared at last. It had been a while since I'd seen him last. Not that I really cared, I had Zack to occupy myself with. That might have sounded harsh, but that's just the way things worked for me.

"Long time no see," Zack said, obviously upset at Sephiroth's absence.

"Let the Turks take care of the rest," Sephiroth said as he walked past us towards the sun.

I hoped he wasn't looking at it; that was bad for one's eyesight. And with his slit irises, it probably blinded him a lot more than normal people. The next few seconds I spent contemplating how small an iris could shrink and what that would do to someone's vision.

"I was on my way to Modeoheim," Sephiroth continued, "but I heard you two were in the area."

Zack put his hands on his hips, refusing to look at Sephiroth, "Lucky us."

I thought I was more than capable to speak for myself, but I was sensing some hostility issues that needed to be resolved and cleverly kept my mouth shut.

"The situation has not resolved," Sephiroth said, ignoring Zack's attitude. "Genesis copies have been sighted around the world."

I cringed at that. I was under the impression only Junon was being attacked. That's where Hollander was, why attack anywhere else? Then again, Costa del Sol had been attacked, too. Perhaps Genesis was simply attacking Shin-Ra related places in general.

"That can't be!" Zack exclaimed, finally facing Sephiroth. "We wiped out those Genesis copies."

Sephiroth faced us, "Did Genesis really die?"

I looked away, frowning as a look of realization shown on Zack's face.

"Uh…" Zack trailed off, uncertainty in his voice.

Sephiroth looked back towards Junon, "They've been sighted in Midgar as well."

"I see," Zack replied.

The General looked at Zack, "The Slums too."

Ah, so Sephiroth even knew about Aerith. Tha jig is up, Zack! Sephiroth stared at Zack, gauging the boy's reaction.

"Permission to return granted," he eventually said, nodding towards Junon with a small smile on his face.

"Uh, yeah…" Zack replied hesitantly.

The General refaced the sun, waving his hand at Zack, "Take care."

"You too," Zack said. He started to slowly walk away, stopping after only taking three steps before turning to face Sephiroth again. "Hey, what's going on in Modeoheim?"

Sephiroth looked at him, "The device Hollander had been using has been stolen."

"What?" I asked. One, I had no idea what he was talking about. Two, I figured it was time I made my presence known again.

Sephiroth's gaze found its way back to me, "The device he was using to create the Genesis and Angeal copies."

"Oh," I replied.

Zack looked thoughtful, "…Genesis?"

"Probably," Sephiroth replied.

"Most likely," I added. The chances were a little higher than 'probably.'

Zack raised his hand, struggling with what he wanted to say. The situation with Genesis was probably a touchy subject for Sephiroth, and Zack was trying to find something to say for having brought it up. Sadly, it seemed like he wasn't having any luck finding the words. Sephiroth watched amusedly as Zack continued to portray a fish. Eventually, he took pity on the kid.

"We'll meet again soon," the General said, nodding at Zack.

Zack nodded back as he began to back away. He pointed at Sephiroth with the hand he'd had raised, "I'll hold you to that."

The boy finally left the tarmac, leaving me alone with Sephiroth. The General cast his attention to me. I cocked my head over my shoulder to look at him.

"You're free to go as well, Anubis," he said.

"Nah," I replied, turning to face him completely. "Unlike Zack I ain't got a girlfriend waiting for me in the Slums—or a boyfriend for that matter. And I'm sure Ronnie's just fine sitting at his desk doing his Turk-related paperwork, or whatever the hell they have him do these days. No, I'd very much rather follow you around. I've already been to the hottest place on Gaia today; why not go to one of the coldest?"

Sephiroth smirked, "Unfortunately, my orders to go to Modeoheim were for me alone. You cannot accompany me."

"Damn!" I exclaimed, stomping my foot on the ground in mock protest.

I flinched when pain hit my side again. Sephiroth picked up on it, his brow creasing with confusion and concern.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"No," I squeaked, straightening up. "I was blown up and thrown into an explodable barrel." Sephiroth's eyes widened a fraction, "No, no, the barrel didn't blow up after I landed on it; it just cut my side pretty bad."

Sephiroth's eyes went back to normal, but concern was still there, "That's not much better, Anubis."

I shrugged, "Zack used Cure on me, so the major wounds closed up. I still have a hellacious bruise, though."

"Where?"

"My right side—GAH! Warn someone before you do that!" I shouted, jumping when Sephiroth was suddenly beside me with his hand on aforementioned side, "I do not like people swooshing at me!"

Sephiroth ignored my outburst as he healed my side. All healing spells casted a green light making it hard to differentiate between them unless you were the castor or the one being healed. Having cured myself many times, I knew he'd used Cura. I also knew he was quite capable of casting Curaga, but my injuries didn't call for it. However, Cura still didn't heal all the cuts and bruises.

"You didn't have to touch me," I grumbled.

Sephiroth pulled away, "By touching the place that is most injured, the castor can focus the majority of the spell on that area."

"Oh," I replied. "Makes sense. Thank you, I guess. Just warn me before you touch me again."

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"I have a thing about people touching me without my permission," I explained.

Which was true, but it also seemed a little strange to have a man that always avoided people…not avoid people. I'd noticed long ago that Sephiroth rarely faced the people he talked to, instead choosing to slightly turn his head just enough that you knew he was talking to you, even if he seemed to be talking to a pole, tree, or other inanimate object. Sometimes he would even have a complete conversation with someone while that person stared blankly at his back. I didn't understand why he did those things in social interactions, but it reminded me a dog that would never look you in the eye.

Sephiroth's smirk returned, "So you're saying, in the event that you're dying on the ground, I shouldn't touch you to heal you without your permission?"

Recalling that same incident in Junon more than a year ago I quickly replied with, "Oh, no, then you can touch me. If it's a matter of life and death, please, feel free to touch me. However, if I'm conscious and you're in range for a good bitch-slap, you _should_ refrain. Sometimes I have no control over my actions."

Sephiroth chuckled lightly, knowing that I was trying to play, "Very well, then, I'll remember that. As much as I'd love to stay here and continue our little chat, Anubis, I have to be in Modeoheim."

I pouted.

Sephiroth blinked, "Are you pouting?"

"Yes," I grinned suddenly. "I haven't quite perfected Zack's puppy-dog look yet. I've been working on it, though. Do you think it'll ever work?"

Sephiroth stared at me blankly—his way of saying no—before replying, "You can't come with me to Modeoheim no matter what type of look you give me. If you're hesitant to go back to Midgar, why don't you help clean Junon up instead?"

I nodded. An idea suddenly popped into my head. I snapped my fingers and pointed at nothing in particular.

"Cloud!"

"…I beg your pardon?"

"Zack was goin—" I shook my head, waving a hand to dismiss my own explanation. "Nevermind. You've given me an idea." I turned to run, skid to stop, and faced Sephiroth again, "Have fun in the frigid wasteland!"

Waving, I ran back the way Zack and I had come minutes before. The Scorpion was still lying in a smoldering heap. I ran all the way through Junon, determined to take the spiky-headed blond to lunch since Zack had left to 'save' Aerith. I looked and looked and never found the kid. It saddened me. And I was so looking forward to having a little fun.

**A/N: Fun fact: Genesis, Angeal, and Sephiroth used to throw their swords at one another trying to knock an apple off their friends' heads. ...Why do I mention something that was also mentioned in a Silver Elite message? Because last chapter Genesis threw Saan's staff at her, which I thought would be strange for someone who wields a sword. But, then I found out they did that for fun, so it's not so strange. Only Genesis wasn't aiming for an apple in that case.**

**'nother fun fact: Me and Ronnie made ourselves in SCIV. Saan's outfit so doesn't match, but I kick ass with Kilik's style. And Ronnie looks way more stylish, but he chose Lizardman's style...and he crawls around on the ground creepily and headbutts people in the chest. And does this weird head-shaky thing that looks cool for lizards but so doesn't for people.**

**Hard Rock is a good station to listen to for fight scenes, especially the graphic kind. When I reread my scenes I couldn't help but think, "God, I'm vicious, and I'm not against using dirty moves." Also, the random blowing-up barrel is courtesy of Risikaa and DoC. We've both been unfortunate enough to blow ourselves up (taking out fellow WRO members) in that game. Who hasn't?**

**Saan: HAHAHA  
Saan: I was about to say we ran in the direction Hollander fled and then remembered we hadn't opened the door yet  
ashi: lol  
ashi: Saans bloopers: -runs into door-  
Saan: Zack and Anubis crashing into big metal doors would look pretty funny  
Saan: XD  
ashi: XD**

**And before I leave tonight, I would just like to add: RUFUS IN TIGHTY-WHITEYS!**

_**Edit: -snort- Tighty-whiteys. I blinded a few of you, I know I did. ON TO HOMEWORK!**_


	20. Glitch

**A/N: Oh my gawd. **_**It's so close but so far!**_** I'm having difficulty thinking of what to do for this chapter, but since you're reading this, rest assured I figured something out. I try to keep most of the ZackxAerith moments untouched because I feel like I'm intruding otherwise. And as Ashi said: Aerith loves Zack, Zack loves Aerith, they're gonna float up to the lifestream togetha...with a woof woof here and woof woof there...and a pretty pink ribbon all tied in her hair~. Depressing and cute all at the same time! How the hell she managed to group it with Old McDonald I have no idea. Anyways, since this chapter was heavily focused on Zack and Aerith and that fucking flower wagon –kicks kid- I have to come up with a crapload of new stuff. I have an idea, and I might use it since I've been wanting to use it forever, but I don't know. …Hmm. Noo! Why has my spacing gone to normal? –fights with Word-**

**Kudos for Chapter 18 (because I so forgot to put that last chap): StrawberryPencil, Angel Peace, SrgntDrew, Mooncry, SageofAges729, Dreylen, Sololight, crystalfeathers, Yiazmat.**

**Kudos for Chapter 19: Mooncry, Fyrflame, crystalfeathers, S. Voltaire.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I do, however, own this plot, Saan, Ronnie, Jerry, and the satisfaction of knowing I blinded you all with my Rufus comment. You have Ronnie to thank for that one.**

_**Edited on 1 November 2010 for errors and goofs. I finished my homework –smile-.**_

It was already September. Life had been interesting the last few months. Interesting and more chaotic. I had a funny feeling that Shin-Ra was spiraling further and further out of control. It was only a matter of time before the Company destroyed itself or was destroyed by those fed up with it. On the Plate, not many people objected to Shin-Ra. However, under the Plate, those that liked Shin-Ra were few and far between. I'd spent enough time on Gaia to know that those outside of Midgar tended to hate Shin-Ra even worse. Still, no one did anything. Shin-Ra gave them power, Materia, and other knick-knacks. It offered protection; they didn't care what happened because of that.

In June, AVALANCHE tried to kidnap Hojo. The truth of the matter was that Hojo was actually interested in what they had to say—for what reason we didn't know—and volunteered to go with them. However, Sephiroth arrived and stopped them. He brought Hojo back, much to my chagrin. The story went that Sephiroth had cut the helicopter down with a single stroke. It sounded grandiose to the average citizen, but as someone who worked with the man, I didn't doubt it. Why Shin-Ra allowed Hojo to resume his duties as the head of the Science Department made no sense to me. However, I figured since he was the only one capable of doing the job, they simply looked the other way. Shin-Ra always looked the other way for all the wrong things.

In July, Shin-Ra announced that Lazard and Hollander had been killed in action. It was a load of crock. Sephiroth, Zack, and I knew differently. A lot of the SOLDIERs had their suspicions, too. I found it amazing that the populous still believed Shin-Ra's lies. The Company had announced Genesis and Angeal dead long before, and yet that was proved wrong. There was even a reporter going around Midgar saying so. It was surprising that he hadn't been killed yet.

Also during that time, Genesis' Army picked up the pace and began attacking Mako reactors in various locations. No one could figure out why, but we were always sent in to clean-up the aftermath. Then the Turks would come in to clean-up the SOLDIERs clean-up. And so the cycle continued.

August came and went, and with it my twenty-fourth birthday. Ronnie, Jerry, and I celebrated it with a small party at my place. As the months had gone by, Jerry was inducted into our little group. He probably thought it was about time, considering how long I'd known him, but as self-appointed leader of 'our group' I always made sure all members passed inspection before being allowed to enter. In truth, I'd taken to the kid long before I even let him in on it. I wasn't very sociable and stuck to only a few people within the SOLDIER program. Sephiroth, Zack, Kunsel, Luxiere, Jerry, and even Cloud, though he wasn't in SOLDIER.

That child would probably never be able to join. I'm sure physically he could have made it, but mentally, it just wasn't in him. Not yet. And I'd remembered that someone had said SOLDIERs need to be strong both mentally and physically for Mako to work. I couldn't remember who, though. It might have been Hojo, for all I knew. Maybe Lazard. My memory wasn't what it used to be.

I spent most of my free time thinking. Which is what I was doing as I sat on one of the long benches on the SOLDIER floor. I'd been there for over an hour, I knew, just staring at the floor like I had good sense. Occasionally someone would ask if I was all right; to which I would grunt an affirmative and continue to think.

A Third approached me from the right and even though I could only see him from the corner of my eye I knew it was Jerry. Since I'd spent more time with him, I'd noticed when he walked one step was always louder than the other. I did it too sometimes; it came from not equally distributing one's weight when walking. It wasn't to be confused with a limp, however.

The kid plopped down beside me. I didn't even move my head to acknowledge him. He spoke anyway.

"What's up?" He asked casually.

"I feel like crap," I replied, finally blinking after having let my eyes dry out.

"That's kind of hard to miss, Anubis," he said as he crossed his ankles. "Everyone's starting to talk about how creepy you're beginning to look. Like a doll or statue but without the creepy eyes. Perhaps you should think elsewhere?"

"I don't give a damn what the other's think, Jerry. I'm quite comfortable staring off into space right here. If they got a problem with it, they can say it to my face."

I stretched, trying to relieve some of the tension that had worked into my muscles from not moving. I tried cracking my knuckles but the metal around my fingers prevented me from doing it successfully. Growling, I wiggled myself back down into the firm cushions of the bench.

"What's got you so down?" Jerry asked as he repositioned himself. The bench's cushions were hella uncomfortable.

I took a deep breath, wondering how to word what I was thinking. I was finding it very difficult. Sometimes I wished I was a robot or something, so I could just connect some cables to my head, and then plug them into something and transmit them into someone else's brain. It would save me the effort put into speaking and they'd get a much better idea of what I was thinking. But that would make me a Chobit, wouldn't it? Were they even called that in _Chobits_? That was another thing I was forgetting in my old age.

"Everything," I eventually settled for. "I had a crazy ass dream this morning—and I know it was this morning because Ronnie fell down the stairs during the middle of the night and I woke up to see what the hell was going on and then went back to sleep—anyway, I don't want to get into that. It got me thinking about a lot of things, and so that's what I've been doing damn near all day because I haven't been given an assignment for days now; I'm so bored I can't stand it."

"Wow," Jerry replied. He paused for a minute before asking, "You don't want to get into the dream or the fact Ronnie woke you up in the middle of the night?"

"Both," I said. "I knew it was bound to happen eventually. Him falling down the stairs, that is. He _always_ manages to fall down the stairs wherever he lives. I'm surprised he's held out this long."

We were silent a moment. The dream replayed itself through my mind. It was a nightmare in all actuality. One of the Comet that struck Earth. I used to have natural disaster dreams all the time when I was a kid; it came from watching too many disaster movies. Volcanoes, floods, tornadoes (that one I experienced firsthand), you name it, I had dreamed it. Meteors and comets weren't an exception, though fewer in number. The dreams weren't prophetic at all, but they were nerve wracking. I was always stuck in a situation where I couldn't get away. Those dreams really sucked…

Taking a deep breath, I turned to Jerry and asked, "Are there any meteors or asteroids or anything like that around here?"

The kid looked at me, his helmet hiding his blink of surprise, "What?"

"Giant space rocks that have the capability of crashing into Gaia and wiping out all life on the planet?" I asked.

"Not…that I know of?" Jerry half-asked. "I don't work for the Space Development Program, how would I know? Why? Is that what you dreamed of? I don't think you have to worry about that. That scenario seems a little farfetched. I mean, the odds something that big is flying around the universe on a crash course with something as tiny as our planet have to be pretty slim."

I narrowed my eyes at him before dismissing his comment for ignorance. Chuckling, I looked away.

"Funny," I said calmly, "that's what they all say. You're probably right, though. The dream just creeped my out a little, that's all. Welp," I stood up, "I've got the sudden urge to go kill something. I'm going to the Training Room."

"Want me to come with you?" He asked, oblivious to the fact he was the one that had sparked my sudden mood change.

I wasn't going to hold it against him, though. He couldn't possibly know I came from another planet that was destroyed in the same situation he brushed off so easily.

"No, I'm good," I replied. "I don't want to have to worry about accidently killing you."

"Hey!" Jerry complained. "I hope you know I'd be a Second right now if it weren't for the fact Lazard—"

The boy looked down. The subject of Lazard was still a touchy one around the SOLDIER floor, even if the one talking about the Director was one of those that believed he wasn't dead. If Lazard was alive out there somewhere, the man still couldn't return to Shin-Ra to lead SOLDIER like so many wished he could and would. I knew he'd been labeled a traitor by Shin-Ra and they'd stop at nothing to eliminate him; just like with Genesis and Angeal. And just like with Genesis and Angeal, we SOLDIERs would be forced to take out another one of our own.

My hand tightened around my staff as my resolve to kill something—digital or not—only strengthened. I looked down at Jerry. The kid left me at an awkward point in our dialogue and I had no idea how to properly dismiss myself after.

So, I settled with a more than awkward, "Uuh. Hm. _Yeah_. Well, at least Sephiroth's trying his best to be the General he is and keep us all in line. Anyway, I'm going to go train now. See you around, Jerry."

Jerry nodded, "See ya, Anubis. You know, you've never told me where you got that name from."

I laughed as I started to walk to the training room, placing my staff on my shoulder, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

The Training Room was on the _other side_ of the SOLDIER floor, and even though it only took me about a minute to get there—I took my sweet time—I didn't like having to walk that far. Whenever I got bored, I got lazy, and a few feet suddenly became miles.

Stepping inside I noticed none of the usual scientists were around. I frowned. The Training Room was never left unattended. No, that wasn't true. Sephiroth had said—. I stopped my train of thought. That was another sore topic for the silver-haired General, and I feared if I thought something like that my brainwaves would somehow float to Sephiroth and put him in a depressed mood. It was an unfounded fear, but I still forced my brain to be silent.

Walking over to the many monitors and buttons on the side of the room, I scanned them over. I had no idea how to run the mechanisms by myself. On the screens flashed various symbols and readings. To what, I had no idea. Figuring it best to leave the big stuff alone, I walked to the small monitor beside the big glass door that read 'Lv. 49'. That screen proved less confusing—with simple command icons lined up like a list. Leaning my staff against the wall, I placed my hands on my hips and tried to pick apart the screen.

"Ok, what do I do here?" I asked myself.

Finding a menu that read 'Training', I figured it was my best option and touched the screen. Next came up a list of different places. Frowning, I chose Midgar. Why not? Then came a list of different exercises I could do and a vague estimate of what level they were. I groaned.

"What the hell am I doing?" I whined. "I don't know! Why can't you just pick one for me? You know what, here," I pushed a random one. "There, now load the damn program so I can kill something."

The screen flashed 'Mission Confirmed' and the glass door swished open. Picking up my staff from the wall, I walked inside and made my way to the center of the room. Even if the Training Room had the strange ability to make it so one didn't run into walls, even if by all laws of physics one should have, I didn't trust it. It was better to start in the center of the room than risk crashing through a glass window while trying to escape from a monster. The glass door swished closed behind me as I frowned. It was only then I realized I hadn't read the little summary of what I was going to be fighting in the training scenario. Or mission, as the monitor outside had said.

Looking over my shoulder, I stared at the monitor on my side of the door. It was identical to the one outside; hopefully it would stay visible when the Virtual Reality System kicked in so I had an easy out.

Within moments, the dull, grey area of the Training Room was replaced by a digital version of Midgar. I frowned again when I saw the monitor disappear pixel by pixel. Well, there went that plan. Turning to face ahead of me, I scoped out the area. I was on the Plate, that much was obvious, but I wasn't sure what Sector I was in. Wondering what my mission was, I figured there was no better way to start than to walk forward.

I walked for a good minute or two, taking in my surroundings and waiting for some kind of enemy to pop up. Eventually, as I passed an alley in the residential area I was in, a monster jumped out in front of me. I blinked at it. The creature was the size of a large dog with a big purple cloth on its back and—for some strange reason—what looked like ribbons were growing out of its body. My face scrunched up in confusion at the strange creature that I'd never seen before.

"_O-kay_," I said, readying my staff.

Scant seconds later, the creature's mouth glowed with a familiar red light. So, the bad boy knew fire spells. Things were going to be interesting. I braced myself as the monster released its spell. Two fireballs streaked toward me—Fira—and I spun my staff to block the attack. The flames dispersed off the rod, weakening the attack as harmless flames licked at my suit. Fire was one spell my suit was tough against.

After the flames had dissipated, I sprinted towards the monster. Spinning around as it scratched at me, I aimed my blades at it and swung. The blow collided with its side and the creature was sent tumbling through the air, the giant gash made by my weapon spraying blood as it did so. I stuck my tongue out in disgust but rushed in to finish the job anyway. As it tried to push itself off the ground, I speared the diamond into its chest. The creature howled and, after a second or two of struggling, stilled. Wrenching my staff out of its body, I turned around.

I was going to resume my walk through the scenic view of Midgar, but two more whatever-the-hell-they-weres came out of the alleys accompanied by three soldiers dressed in green attire. I'd never seen that outfit before on any of our SOLDIERs, and no one from AVALANCHE that I knew of wore that outfit…AVALANCHE members really didn't wear uniforms. The only other enemy that I could think of that would be programmed into the Shin-Ra Training Missions would be Wutaian soldiers. Wutainese. Whatever the hell they were called. I'd never actually heard the saying in all my time on Gaia. When I got out of the Training Room, I was going to have to ask someone what they were called. Until then, I'd call them "people of Wutai."

The monsters stayed close by their masters and said masters stayed a pretty decent clip away from me. I found that move to be counterproductive given they were wielding halberds. Or, since they were in Asian-type armor, maybe it was called something else. What were those things called that Seung-Mina used on _Soul Calibur_? Hell, I couldn't even remember that!

I assumed that the human enemies were hesitating simply because I had defeated their friend so easily, but when I approached and they flipped their weapons around, I quickly found out the real reason. They were not hesitating at all. Much to my surprise, the ends of their weapons flashed with gunpowder. Yelping, I changed direction, running in a wide arc to throw off their aim.

However Wutai figured out how to turn a staff rod into a gun barrel, I didn't know, but I had to hand it to them, it was pretty damn cool. Sadly, any admiration I had was quickly smothered by thoughts of staying alive.

I continued to run in a wide arc—quickly becoming a circle—and came up beside one of the whatchamacallits. It growled and sliced at me with its claws. All I needed to do to avoid them was step to the side. After doing so, I stabbed the blades of my staff through the back of its neck. It crumpled to the ground lifelessly.

Yanking my staff out of its body, I brought it up and around to block a jab from one of the Wutai soldiers. His weapon was knocked away, exposing him. Using the opening, I brought my staff back around and sliced at his stomach. The blades cut deep. He spun, blood spraying everywhere, and collapsed to the ground.

I barely had time to guard against a seemingly random cast of Fira. Luckily, instinct had kicked in when the spell was a few feet into my peripheral vision and my hands acted on their own to spin my staff around. Because I wasn't expecting the attack, I wasn't braced for it, and when the fireballs collided with the rod, I was knocked back. I stumbled to stay upright and managed not to fall.

The creature that had attacked me was hiding behind its comrades. Growling, I launched myself at the closest Wutai soldier. He guarded against my jab with his own staff, putting us in a deadlock. I kicked him hard and backed away. Letting my hand slide a little on the rod, I brought it around and smacked the ankh hard against his helmet. He twisted and stumbled to the ground. As he fell, I flipped my staff over and stabbed the diamond into his chest.

Pulling it out, I backpedaled to avoid the last soldier's gunfire. Focusing my attention on him and desperately wanting to kill the creature prancing behind him, I ran at him. He lunged at me with his own bladed-staff. Moving just a fraction to the right, I avoided the attack, and stabbed my blades into his stomach. He gurgled, spitting up blood. Ripping my weapon from his body, I let him crumple to the ground as I thought about how disgustingly accurate Shin-Ra's Virtual Reality program could be.

With the small fry out of the way, I could focus my attention on the only real threat I'd had during the entire battle. Creatures were sometimes harder to fight than humans. They tended to be faster, tough-skinned, and more magical. Plus, the small ones were always hard to hit when they were nipping at your feet. Those damn grass creatures were a prime example.

The monster roared and charged at me. I braced myself and, as it leapt at me, I brought my staff up. Its front paws collided with the rod and I fell back. As my back hit the concrete road beneath me, my leg shot up and kicked the creature in its stomach. Using its own inertia against it, I flipped it over me. The monster was heavier than it looked and it didn't fly far before it landed behind my head. Wasting no time to let the creature make use of the opening I'd given it, I rolled over quickly and hopped up. Sprinting at the monster, I raised my staff over my head and used the power of both my arms to spear its torso with the blades. All three dug in deep, killing it instantly.

Pulling the blades from their wounds, I looked around. I was expecting more enemies to appear but none did. Since the program didn't terminate, I knew the mission still wasn't completed. I was going to have to walk around the place to find the rest of the Wutai enemies that waited for me. Sighing, I continued on. With the rush of adrenaline I had received from a quick burst of fighting, my foul mood was almost completely gone. But, I was going to have to finish what I started; regardless of the fact I was quickly getting bored with it.

I eventually found myself in Sector 8, meaning I had either been in Sector 7 or 1 beforehand. Which one, I still had no idea. Even though I had been working and living in Midgar for almost two years, I didn't have the particular fancy to randomly trudge around it. Midgar was bigger than it seemed and I had no intentions of getting lost in the stinking place. I trusted the Slums more than I did the Plate.

Walking down a street, I came to some stairs that led down towards the fountain. Looking over the railing, I could make out more Wutai soldiers and a giant monster with a mace.

"Wonderful," I muttered to myself.

I had not a clue of what the giant monster was, but it definitely looked formidable. It had to be slow because of its girth, but it was pretty much all muscle—making it hard to kill—and the mace in its hand could squish me flat in one swing. Coming to the conclusion that I had my work cut out for me with that monster, I decided I would take care of the Wutai soldiers first.

Turning from the railing that gave a clear view of the area, I began to descend the stairs. I was stunned when a group of soldiers came running up the first flight to meet me. I had been so occupied with watching the monster and soldiers farther away that I hadn't thought that maybe there were enemies closer to me that I should have been paying attention to instead. Swearing inwardly at my blunder, I jogged back up the four steps I'd managed to make it down and turned to face my attackers. Fighting on a staircase was dangerous and foolish—for both parties involved.

Holding my staff out in front of me in warning, I gauged my situation. My opponents were five Wutai soldiers. Four of them were wearing green and the fifth was wearing yellow. Color-coding on Gaian uniforms meant something, so I figured the yellow man was a higher rank than the other four. Deciding to take care of the small fry, I launched myself towards the nearest green guy.

By focusing on the weaker enemies first, I would be able to kill them quickly and then leisurely take my time on the harder enemies. If I didn't, I would have to worry about getting shot or ganged-up on by the weaker enemies while all my attention was drawn to the harder-to-kill enemy. It was an age old trick employed by video gamers everywhere.

As I went to make my move, two of the other green soldiers flipped their weapons around. Foreseeing a future of Swiss cheese for myself, I dodge-rolled along the ground to avoid their attacks. Amazingly, the trick worked. Jumping back to my feet, I found myself in the center of the group. Taking the opportunity, I tucked my staff tightly under my left arm, pressing it against my body, gripped the rod with my right hand, and spun in a circle—a move I'd used in Junon and many times after. These enemies were quicker than the others and I only managed to slice one of the soldiers. Figuring since he was already injured it'd be best to finish him off, I focused my attacks on him.

As I went to slice him, he tried to do the same to me. Our weapons collided with a loud ring. Growling angrily as my staff bounced back forcefully from the blow, I closed the distance between us. Though my enemies' weapons might have guns for long-range and blades for medium-range, they were useless when it came to close-range. And though my staff was better at medium-range fighting, the position of the blades on the ankh allowed me to get close to my opponent and inside their range. In summary: I could hit them when they couldn't hit me.

The man tried to react when I entered his personal bubble, but I gave him no chance as I slammed my staff's blades, once again, into my enemy's stomach. It may have been a repetitive move, but it was efficient—and what was efficient on the battle field was never frowned upon. Ripping my staff to the side and out of the man's body, I targeted another green soldier to my left. Repositioning my hands and tightening my grip, I took a giant step and thrust the diamond into his chest just below his sternum. He cried out.

The soldier collapsed to the ground after I wrenched my staff out of his body. Turning, I noticed all my enemies were aiming at me. I swore and took off running—circling my enemies while trying to avoid being shot. The maneuver worked. As I passed one of the green soldiers, I stabbed him under his ribs with my diamond as he tried to turn and face me. He crumbled to the ground as I launched myself into the air.

With a cry, I held my staff poised above my head. The last green soldier raised his staff and blocked my attack. The head of my staff collided with enough force to buckle the soldier's knees as I landed in a crouch. I let my staff slide off the rod of his weapon as I pulled it back to my right and swung it as hard and fast as I could across his legs. I was too far to cut his legs in two, but I did manage to slice through his shins enough to make him crumple the rest of the way. He fell to his knees.

I brought my staff up horizontally and slammed the blades into his chest, directly underneath the armor he wore. If I could have, I would have sliced through his neck—it would have been quicker. But, the armor lowered my chances of hitting that vital area, and instead of risking a miss, I took the easy, more probable, way out.

Picking myself off the ground, I turned my attention to the remaining Wutai enemy. He flipped his weapon around. I ran to the side as fast as I could to dodge the bullets I knew were coming. I managed to dodge most, but he was a little faster than the others, and a couple of the bullets ricocheted off my suit. Whenever I was hit by a bullet, even through the armor, it felt as if someone was hitting me hard with a blunt object; however, I would take that pain and those bruises over bullet holes any day.

When he'd finished his barrage, much to my surprise, he didn't wait for me to attack him like the others had. He lunged, thrusting his weapon out towards me. I cried out in surprise at the quickness of his attack and brought my staff up to block. I knocked his weapon up and away from my chest, but the blade still slid across the shoulder of my suit, making a horrendous screeching sound. I shuddered from the closeness of the blade to my head—had I been careless I wouldn't have had a head.

Growling, I let my staff's rod slip under the hook of his blade and twisted around. I forced our weapons to become entangled and angled them towards the ground. We struggled against one another, our actions bringing us unbearably close to one another. The head of my staff resembled a trident, and I was beginning to get afraid that his blade would slip and entangle itself further into my weapon. With our two weapons _that_ entangled, I would have been at a major disadvantage. I was quite positive the man nearly pressed into my arm and shoulder was physically stronger and faster than I was, and should he happen to yank with our weapons like that, I would soon find myself without one.

Realizing I might have made a mistake in trying to incapacitate his weapon, I thought of a way to get out of the situation. Calling up the golden claws of my suit, I hesitated a bit before reaching out quickly with my right hand. I slammed the claws into his torso as deep as I could and raked them quickly back towards me. He cried out, yanked his staff away from mine—I let him—and quickly backed away.

My claws couldn't cut as deep as my staff's blades, so the move wasn't as effective as what I was used to. However, they'd done their job so I released them. I glanced appraisingly at the five, red streaks going across my enemy's abdomen. My smile vanished from my face as my enemy thrust his weapon at me again. I knocked the blade away, brought my staff back around, and in the same way, I slashed him across the chest. The wounds weren't deep enough to kill, so I quickly closed the distance. As I did so, he tried to bring his weapon around to slice me, but he wasn't fast enough. My blades found themselves between his ribs; his blade bounced harmlessly off my side.

The sound of metal ripping from flesh was morbid as he fell backwards to the ground; but, it was a sound I had long since grown used to. Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly as I stepped over the bodies of the fallen and descended the stairs. Turning my head as I went, I looked at the next batch of enemies I would have to fight. Three green soldiers and the giant monster with the mallet. Hopefully, the giant monster served as the boss of the mission, and once I defeated it, the mission would end.

As I reached the bottom of the stairs, a flicker went through the Virtual Reality program. It was a strange phenomenon to witness. The buildings, fountain, ground, and enemies all glitched for a single second, but even though their physical forms blinked and twisted, everything went on as if nothing happened. One of the soldiers by the fountain didn't slap his buddy beside him and go, "Hey, did you feel that?" Though, it would have been hilarious to see.

Ignoring the glitch and chocking it up as computer error, I prayed that the monster was unbelievable slow as I tried to get the attention of the soldiers by clanging my staff loudly against the metal railing of the stairs. Luckily, they turned and faced the direction of the noise…and the monster did not. Without a word, they sprinted in my direction. I walked a little ways from the staircase but made sure not to go too far towards the fountain. The last thing I needed was a giant, mace-wielding monster thundering behind me as I tried dodging bullets.

When the enemies were close enough, I readied my staff and sprinted towards them. One of them twirled his weapon around. Knowing what was coming, I dodged to the left. He opened fire, a hail of gunfire hitting the walls behind me as I ran. All of the shots missed.

I came up beside one of the soldiers. He tried to swing his weapon at me, but I caught it and kicked him in the side with my left shin. He grunted and doubled over. I stabbed him in the stomach with my blades, wrenched them out, and then let go of his weapon so he could fall to the ground. The middle soldier thrust his weapon towards me. Having seen him prepare his attack, I sidestepped and moved alongside his rod at the same time he thrust, putting him behind me just enough to expose his back to my diamond. It went in; he went down.

After looking over my shoulder to see that the monster still hadn't moved from his spot on the other side of the fountain, I refaced and approached the last remaining soldier. I stalked over to him quickly as he flipped his weapon around. When he opened fire, I side-stepped and grabbed a hold of the weapon's rod/barrel.

"You really are pathetic," I said blankly. "Your AI must be stuck on stupid, or something."

I stabbed him in the stomach—in the same place I'd stabbed all those before him. He dropped to the ground, virtual blood pooling beneath him.

"And you are _way_ too easy to kill."

Facing the fountain, I walked towards it and, ultimately, the monster behind it. I didn't really want to fight the creature because I knew it would be difficult. Yes, difficult was always preferred to 'stab, sigh, stab agian, sigh again,' but this monster looked _insanely_ difficult; and that was an entirely different ballpark.

I rounded the fountain and put my hands on my hips. I'd walked from one end of the open area to the other, and the creature still had yet to turn around. Maybe the creature was all brawn and no brain.

"Hey," I called out to it, "turn around, bozo."

The creature jumped a little and slowly turned around; as if thinking about turning around was tiring it out. Either that, or the mace it wielded was entirely too heavy, even for it. I stared at it blankly as it stared back. I flinched a little as it bellowed loudly. It was trying to intimidate me, yet all it managed to do was deafen me. Readying my staff, I let sparks of electricity arc across the blades.

The monster was insanely powerful—as I've said before. My staff couldn't finish it off with a few, well-aimed thrusts of neither blades nor diamond. And since my staff wasn't as mobile or quick as SOLDIERs' swords were, hack-and-slash was out of the question. No, for that fight I was going to have to rely on magic.

The creature growled deep in its throat as it raised its mace above its head. My eyes widened. This early in the fight and it was already trying to pound me into the ground like a mole? I backed up quickly, going closer to the fountain. I could easily outmaneuver and outrun the monster if need be; and, at that time, the need be.

"Tch," I scoffed, raising my staff up to fire a blast of Thundaga.

The monster jerked suddenly, accompanied by the sound of metal through flesh. I paused, my brows creasing in confusion. The creature stayed upright for a second or two after the sound before it toppled face first to the ground. I stared at it for a moment in confusion before looking up to face the man standing behind it. I frowned.

"Sephiroth?" I asked. "What are you doing here?" I shrugged, "I mean, don't get me wrong I'm glad you—"

I paused. Frowning, I stared at Sephiroth. He was smirking at me. Okay, so Sephiroth had smirked at me before, but never with that look in his eyes. It was a look that smirked just as much as his lips and it meant that whatever was running through his head was anything but happy thoughts. He took a step towards me and my breath caught in my chest, my eyes widening further as my heart started to pound.

"Not Sephiroth," I squeaked, terrified for the first time in a long time. "Not Sephiroth!"

Faster than I could blink, the not-Sephiroth was over the dead body of the Wutai giant and was damn near right in front of me. Instinct kicked in. My arm raised my staff up and barely blocked a too-well aimed slash from the Masamune. The force of that one swing nearly knocked my staff from my hand.

What I was fighting wasn't Sephiroth, his demeanor was all wrong. Sephiroth might have enjoyed a good spar every now and then, but I didn't think he'd ever have such a look of bloodlust on his face while doing it. Whatever I was fighting, it had to have been based off him though—not just his appearance but his abilities, as well. I didn't know whether or not that was Sephiroth's latest data or some fucked up experiment made by Hojo, but whatever it was, it was hell-bent on killing me. Not sparring, not maiming, but killing. I had simply wanted to let off some steam by doing a routine training mission, and because of that I was standing in front of the deadliest man that ever existed on two worlds.

Desperate to get out of the long and deadly reach of Sephiroth's sword, I ran. I ran for the opposite side of the area; I ran to get as far away from him as I could. I realized a little too late that I couldn't outrun Sephiroth _. _The man had cleared a distance of over ten feet in less than a second. I couldn't dream of keeping up with that, let alone staying ahead of it.

Spinning around, I realized my fears had been well-founded. The man had chased after me. Swearing, I let fly the Thundaga spell I was going to use against the Wutai monster. The powerful lightning arced from the blades, reaching out to strike Sephiroth. He ran into the attack and the spell exploded in a magnificent fireball. Even so, I knew I wasn't out of the woods yet. It was too easy.

When the smoke and fire cleared, Sephiroth wasn't there. I panicked. Whipping my head around, I checked behind me. Whenever someone magically disappeared, nine times out of ten they were trying to come up behind you for an easy shot. Not seeing him only increased my paranoia. No matter which way I faced, there was always going to be a 'behind me.'

"Where the hell are you!" I screeched, continuing to move and spin, "You're not supposed to be here! You're not part of the program!"

Leather boots thudded on the pavement. Despite my best efforts to keep Sephiroth from getting behind me, he'd still managed to do it. Spinning around, I gasped. The man was mere inches away from the snout on my helmet. A brief flash of light and suddenly I was flying through the air and spinning in a way that would make a Power Ranger proud. My staff flew from my hand.

My back hit the ground painfully, knocking the wind out of me. I didn't know what attack or spell Sephiroth had used, but it sure hurt like hell. Looking down at my suit, I couldn't see any gashes but it was sparking in some places. Dropping my head back to the ground, I coughed and then rolled over onto my side.

I looked around for my staff. Looking back, towards the fountain, my eyes finally landed on it. It was a good clip away, but if I wanted to protect myself long enough to figure out a way to deactivate the Virtual Reality system, I was going to need it. Pushing myself up as fast as I could, I sprinted towards it. I was almost halfway there when Sephiroth was suddenly in front of me.

Yelping, I jumped back as he swung the Masamune towards my head. The blade passed through the air where I had been standing milliseconds before. I miscalculated the reach of Sephiroth's sword and cried out when it connected with my face. I quickly jerked my head to the right to minimize the damage I knew was coming. The sharp edge cut into my cheek just below my eye, hit the snout of my mask, and sent the helmet flying.

I continued to back away, making sure to keep my body facing him, and brought my metal-covered hand up to lightly touch my cheekbone. When I pulled it away a small amount of blood shone darkly on it. I snapped my head back up to glare at the man. His face still held that annoying, dangerous smirk as he pointed the Masamune at me—challenging me and taunting me at the same time.

"You're toying with me," I seethed. Straightening up, I lowered my hand and summoned my claws, "I really don't like being your plaything, you sadistic bastard."

I knew the man wanted to kill me, but he hadn't taken the chance while I was lying down on the ground and scanning the area for my staff. And from the look in his eyes, and the fact he'd attacked me when I didn't have my staff, I knew it wasn't because he was being chivalrous. My fear was pushed aside and replaced with a cold hate.

The not-Sephiroth's smirk only grew. Against all reason, I ran at the fake General. He was between me and my staff and he needed to be removed. The man made a noise of amusement and brought the Masamune around to slice me. I continued to run at him, focusing on his face. Before the blade could connect, I grabbed it with my right hand. The sharp edge screeched against metal as I ran up the blade; I cringed when it sliced through the suit and cut into my palm. I willed my suit to stay on regardless of the damage.

A flash of confusion graced Sephiroth's face. With a cry of rage and determination, I grabbed a hold of his face with my left hand—black mist already wafting off from the Materia that rested on the back of it—and summoned Death.

It was the second time I'd used the spell. The first time was against a Behemoth and, even though I mostly missed, the dark gaseous-liquid formed by the spell had killed the side of its face. I was hoping this time would be no different. I was wrong.

The dark mist wrapped around Sephiroth's body and evaporated almost immediately, leaving him completely unscathed.

"W-What?" I stuttered nervously.

Growling, I started to tighten my grip on his face. I thought that if Death wouldn't work, the least I could do was dig my claws in deep enough to do enough damage; hopefully I'd kill him. My claws had barely pierced his skin when his free hand shot up and wrapped itself tightly around my wrist. My eyes widened as I saw the amount of pressure he was putting into his squeeze—the suit starting to give as the muscles in his hand contracted forcefully. Shocked, my hand loosened subconsciously.

My suit made a cracking noise as he continued to squeeze. I gasped as I felt small, electrical shots traveling their way down my forearm. Sephiroth pried my hand off his face despite my best efforts to keep it there. I stared at him in awe as he looked down at me. His lips twisted back into that awful smirk.

Quickly and without warning, he slid his hand around, gripping my forearm. Fear kicked in once again as my brain and instincts told me what he was about to do. I let go of his sword and lunged myself at him. Had anyone been watching, they probably would have thought me to be glomping him. In all actuality, I was trying to keep myself from being thrown.

Sephiroth was almost a foot taller than me which made it difficult to throw my arm around his shoulder. I wound up clambering up him like a squirrel. I thought that if I could grab a hold of him, he wouldn't throw me. Oh, how I was wrong. He yanked at my arm and began to spin.

I dug my claws into his back trying to stay on, but it was no use. His inertia pulled my body away from his. With the first swing, I slid down his left arm, clawing all the way. With his second swing, I was digging into his right arm as I went spinning in a wicked parody of a child's game. The third swing had me flying through the air, screaming all the while.

It wasn't until my back collided with the fountain piece that I realized which way he'd thrown me. My screams were silenced as my spine collided with the stone sticking out of the fountain base, the wind having been knocked out of my body. The stone broke when I hit it and I continued to fly back and towards the ground. I landed on my staff in a brief stroke of good luck.

I was out of breath, in pain, and the room was spinning, but I still was able to think. The knock into the fountain had knocked some sense into me as well. I recalled the tale Sephiroth had told Zack and I about his spar with Genesis. The Training Room had been torn up and Genesis had been physically wounded when the Virtual Reality program finally cut off. These two factors I considered for the deactivation of the program: one, I would either have to be wounded; or two, I'd have to seriously injure the room itself. Taking into consideration I was already seriously wounded, and about to be dead, I chose the latter.

Weakly, I grasped my staff, pulled it out from under me, and raised it up, slamming the prongs into the ground. I cast two shots of Thundaga into the ground—one right after the other—before the program disengaged. I watched as Sephiroth and the fountain disappeared pixel by pixel. Even as he was disappearing the damn man had a smirk on his face. If I didn't know better, that copy would have made me loathe the real Sephiroth. I breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground.

I wanted to lie on the floor and just ignore the red warning lights that were flashing in the room I was in; however, when I hit the ground my head was facing the glass walls and I saw someone—someone I hated more than anything in the world.

"Hojo," I growled.

It all made sense. The glitch in the system wasn't a glitch, but him uploading the Sephiroth program, experiment, whatever the hell the damn thing was. Growling, I forgot about my pain and practically jumped to my feet. I tightened my grip around my staff as I stormed towards the big glass door, jerking my helmet off the floor along the way. I was vaguely aware of the blood still seeping from the wound not-Sephiroth had caused.

Hojo was so caught up in staring at a clipboard and mumbling to himself that he didn't see nor hear me when I stepped out of the VR room. Just as I was about to scream at him, I caught what he was saying.

"That girl has become pretty skilled since she first started using that device, even without Mako. However, she's still not as strong as I'd like," He chuckled, waving his clipboard to the side, "Still she has potential. The cells inside that armlet—"

Hojo's ramblings were processed within my mind in milliseconds. Only one type of cell was ever uttered from the mouth of that madman. I felt something within me snap. Before I even realized what I was doing, I had slammed my staff into the ground and stormed over to Hojo. He turned around, his eyes widening in confusion and alarm when he saw me less than three feet away from him. My left arm shot from my side and my hand quickly found itself wrapped around his throat, my claws barely piercing into his neck. His clipboard clattered loudly to the floor as I slammed him up against the wall. He clawed at my wrist and forearm helplessly.

"What was that?" I hissed. "I don't think I quite heard you."

Though I had my hand wrapped around his neck, I wasn't choking him enough to cut off air or prevent him from talking. After all, I wanted answers and a dead man couldn't give me that. Hojo struggled against my arm a bit more before finally conceding to the position I'd put him in. He frowned at me, an ugly expression on his face, before the frown turned upside-down.

"Anubis," he almost purred, "it's a pleasure to see you again. You haven't stopped by my lab in ages! Having random bouts of aggression, are we? That's to be expected, all things considered. You are aware that what you're doing—" he looked down at the arm holding him "—is considered treason in Shin-Ra, correct? If I were to report you…"

I scoffed cocking my head to the side, "And let your precious specimen die? Oh, no, no, no, Hojo, I don't think you will." I narrowed my eyes at him, pressing my claws into his neck further, "Now what were you saying about cells, _Mister Hojo_?"

The smile dropped from his face, "Exactly what I said, _girl_." He looked away in thought, "It's a shame you won't be going with Sephiroth to—"

"Where?" I snapped.

He cut his eyes back at me, annoyance shining behind them, "If you would be so kind as to let me finish, Anubis. Sephiroth has been ordered to investigate a Reactor in Nibelheim."

I frowned as I recalled the name of Cloud's hometown. I didn't like the way things were going.

"What's in Nibelheim?" I growled as I stepped closer to Hojo.

The scientist's lips closed in a thin line. By this time he was all but glaring at me. He remained silent, like a child throwing a tantrum. He didn't want to tell me what he or Shin-Ra was up to. I'd make him if it was the last thing I did. I grinned crookedly, brought my right hand up to his forehead, and pressed my index finger's claw against his flesh. He flinched, but only slightly.

"What's in Nibelheim, Hojo?" I sang.

He didn't reply and continued his little battle of wills. His stubborn actions only made me angrier. I pressed my claw further into his forehead and started to slowly drag it down his face.

"Nibelheim, Hojo," I hissed as he squirmed.

"All right, already!" He barked, slapping my hand to force it away. "You're worse than that damned Turk!"

I had no idea what he meant by that, but I took it as a compliment. Anyone who could get under Hojo's skin was all right in my opinion. I removed my hand from his face but kept it poised in the event he tried to be sneaky like the greasy rat that he was. He frowned at me as blood trickled down his brow. I could see the gears turning in his head. He was thinking of a way to tell me something without giving too much away. I didn't mind. Even if he gave me half-truths, I could easily find the rest to make a whole.

"There's a mansion in Nibelheim that has some interesting data over the Ancients. A whole library full, in fact. I'm sure it would calm your burning curiosity, Anubis," he smirked. "But may I caution you—curiosity killed the cat."

"Is that the only thing I should be worried about, Hojo?" I asked. His growing smirk answered my question for me. "Where's Sephiroth now? Has he left yet?"

"I might be a genius in science, Anubis, but I am no psychic," Hojo snapped. "I've given you enough information already. Do with it what you will. Now, would you be as so kind as to unhand me? I don't want blood getting on my glasses."

Sensing I'd received all the information from the man I was going to get, I released him—but not before slamming him into the wall once more for good measure. I stepped away from him and walked back to where I'd dropped my helmet. I didn't even remember dropping it, but since it was lying beside my staff, I figured I did it at the same time I stabbed my weapon into the ground. Picking it up leisurely, I put it on my head and then wrenched my staff out of the floor.

Hojo was trying to stop the blood trailing down his face with a handkerchief as I stopped in front of the door leading to the main hall of the SOLDIER floor. I smirked and cast Cure on him. The scientist blinked in confusion, faced me, and scowled.

"Don't misunderstand me," I grinned. "I can't have you showing your wounds to anyone. Oh, and by the way," I dropped my humorous mask, "I'm not one to let sleeping dogs lie."

I stepped into the hallway and walked towards the Debriefing Room. Since Lazard's disappearance and consequential K.I.A. announcement, the General had started using Lazard's office as his own and always debriefed the SOLDIERs before every mission. I doubted Sephiroth was traveling alone to Nibelheim and so, with any luck, I would find him there. If not, I'd check Lazard's office.

The further I walked from the Training Room, the weaker I got. The adrenaline from fighting Sephiroth and threatening Hojo was quickly disappearing and I was finally starting to feel the after effects of getting thrown into a stone fountain piece.

"Ooh," I groaned and leaned against the wall. Flinching as my back touched it, I slowly let myself slide down. "Ow, ow, ow."

I sat on the floor for a few minutes, debating on whether or not I wanted to use Cure on myself—I was trying to be independent when it came to healing—when a pair of feet rounded the corner. My eyes widened in surprise that was closely followed with dread as I watched the pair of feet collide at full speed into my outstretched legs. Pair-of-feet kicked my legs forcefully to the side, causing pain to shoot through my lower back as I twisted with it; Pair-of-feet also stumbled and fell to the floor with a loud smack.

"Sweet mother of Jefferson Davis!" I cursed, lying limply with my face on the floor as I willed the pain to go away.

Pair-of-feet grunted as he collided with the floor, "Ow, what the—? Why don't you—" The boy trailed off in surprise, "You're that woman First! I am so sorry, are you okay?"

"Yes and no," I hissed. I lifted my head up—my helmet miraculously had stayed on my head—and glared at the familiar face with spiky, blond hair. "What the blue blazes are you running for?"

My question fell on deaf ears as Cloud's eyes widened a little, "You're bleeding?"

I groaned and tried to push myself off the floor. It was a slow process. When my right hand stung as it pushed against the floor, I remembered my face wasn't the only thing that had been cut by that clone's Masamune. I hissed in pain and shook my hand, as if that would somehow make the cut jump out of my palm.

"Indeed I am, Cloud. It's called training. What-are-you-doing?" I asked as Cloud, who'd gotten up, walked over to me, and started to bend down, grabbed my left arm. "No, no, no, no, Cloud!"

The poor boy was trying to help me off the floor, and that would have been all right with me. In fact, I was quite glad some men still had a shred of decency in them. However, poor Cloud didn't know that my back was injured and that I probably had a massive bruise, and so when he went to pull me to my feet in one quick jerk, I felt pain in one quick jolt.

When I yelped in pain, I stunned Cloud, and he quickly let me drop back to the floor on my knees.

"What'd I do?" He asked nervously.

"Hmhmhmmm," I chuckled, jaw clenched. Taking a shuddering breath, I replied, "_You_ did nothing. Hold on."

Pulling my arm from Cloud's weakened grasp, I reached down, grabbed my staff, and placed the ankh against my back. I cast Cura on myself. The pain lessened a great deal and the cut in my hand healed completely. However, I could feel that some of the cut on my face refused to close. Switching hands with my staff, I offered my left hand to Cloud.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" I asked.

Cloud grabbed my hand and gave a strong tug, effectively bringing me to my feet.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Cloud asked, giving me a concerned look.

I stretched, testing the muscles in my back, "I am now. Now, why were you running?"

"I'm trying to round everyone up for the mission," Cloud replied. He frowned a little, "Though I can't seem to find anyone."

I had a funny suspicion I knew what mission he was talking about. Somehow I managed to keep a scowl off my face.

"Well, keep lookin'. If you can't find anyone just grab a random person and force them along. I'm sure Sephiroth doesn't want to wait," I smirked inwardly as I continued. "Speaking of Sephiroth, have you seen him?"

Cloud shook his head, "No. I just ran into Zack, though. He's near the elevators."

"Is he now?" I asked, "Well, I'll go speak with him then. Don't be long."

Cloud nodded and then turned to run in the direction he had been traveling before he ran over me and tripped. I turned and went the other way. Sure enough, standing near the elevators was Zack. He seemed preoccupied with his phone. My phone was back at the house; I'd accidently left it in my haste to get to the Shin-Ra Building.

"Hey," I called out to him.

He looked up from his phone and smiled. He opened his mouth to say something as I approached, but then his eyes lighted on the dried blood on my face. He frowned.

"What happened to you?" He asked, putting his phone away.

"Nothing I couldn't handle," I lied. "Where's Sephiroth?"

"I don't know," Zack replied. "He hasn't arrived yet."

"Good," I mumbled. "That means he's in Lazard's office."

I walked towards the elevators Zack was standing in the center of. His frown changed to one of confusion.

"Uh, we're scheduled to go on a mission today. He's probably still getting ready for that," he said as I pressed the up button.

The door to the elevator I was standing before swished open. I turned my head to look at the boy.

"Oh, I'm quite well aware of that," I replied. "In fact, that's exactly what I wanted to talk to him about."

I stepped inside the elevator and pressed the button for Floor 51. Zack peeked his curious, little head around the corner to see me.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked suspiciously. I merely smiled, giving him a little wave with my fingers as the doors slid closed.

When I reached Lazard's floor, I was surprised to find Sephiroth right in front of me, the Masamune obediently resting on his hip. I couldn't help it when I narrowed my eyes at the thing. Sephiroth seemed just as surprised to see me. He took a few steps back as I exited the elevator.

"Anubis?" he questioned. "What are you doing here? There's been a mission assigned that I—"

"I'm coming with you," I interrupted, staring at him to make sure my point went across. Sephiroth didn't need to see my eyes to know what I was feeling—no one who knew me well enough did.

Sephiroth's own eyes narrowed, "What? You haven't been assigned to this mission. In fact, you shouldn't even know about it."

I smiled, "Yes, well I do. And I'm telling you now that I'm coming with you."

Sephiroth's gaze hardened, "Your orders—"

"Orders-schmorders," I snapped. "As Firsts we have the right to veto a mission, and now I'm doing the reverse by putting myself _on one_. Regardless of what you say, I'm coming along. And so help you if you try to stop me; I will not take no for an answer."

Sephiroth glared at me, obviously pissed that one of his fellow SOLDIERs was being so insubordinate. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm his nerves as I glared at him from beneath my helmet. Looking back, it might not have been such a wise decision to enter a battle of wills against a man that was just as stubborn and hard-headed as I was. But because I was stubborn and hard-headed I refused to acknowledge that thought and continued the battle. When he'd calmed down enough, he reopened his eyes and stared at me.

"Why are you so eager to volunteer?" He asked.

"I have reason to believe something bad will happen if ya'll go to Nibelheim—"

The General cut me off, his eyes narrowing again, "I didn'ttell Zack where we were going when I debriefed him, how did _you_ find out_."_

I paused. It would be bad for me to tell Sephiroth that Hojo was the one that gave me the information. Ok, actually, if I said it was Hojo, Sephiroth would probably agree that _yes_ the scientist was up to something and _yes_ we should err on the side of caution. But! I had threatened Hojo with pointy claws, and if that was let out, I was in deep doo-doo.

"That's none of your business," I snapped.

"None of my—" Sephiroth caught himself. Reeling in his anger, he continued, "You're being extremely childish, Anubis, and if you think that I'm going to let you accompany us on this assignment just because you demand it, you are sorely mistaken."

"Oh, for the love of God and all that is holy!" I shouted, ignoring the fact I'd spouted off the name of a deity. "_Please_, Sephiroth. I _have_ to come. Both you and Zack have been assigned to this mission meaning that it's gotta be a tough one. What's the harm in another First joining you? I can only do more help than harm."

Sephiroth sighed in exasperation, "You're not going to give up, are you?"

"No," I smirked, folding my arms. "In fact, if you don't let me go with you, I'll call you every single day—every hour of every day that you're gone." As an afterthought I added, "And you can't turn your phone off because you might get an emergency call from the President or something."

The General cast his eyes to the ceiling, which was about as close to an eye-roll as he would give. I knew I had won and mentally patted myself on the back.

"_Fine_," he growled. "I'll debrief you later while we're en route. The preparations have already been made, however, and so you haven't been taken into account when it comes to accommodations."

I couldn't help but grin and reply, "I can always sit on your lap, Seph."

If looks could kill. I was quite thankful they couldn't. At least, not to my knowledge. Whether I'd pissed him off with my shameless joking or the use of a nickname, I wasn't entirely sure; but I made a mental note to never do it again.

"I can always change my mind," Sephiroth replied emotionlessly.

"No, that's ok," I said quickly.

"Get in the elevator," Sephiroth commanded. "We're already behind as it is."

I pushed the button for the elevator and waited impatiently for it to arrive. Seventy floors in the Shin-Ra Building and the damn thing only had two elevators. Once again I found myself vowing to find the man responsible for its layout and strangle him.

Sephiroth stood by my right as we waited for an elevator to arrive. It wasn't long before I realized he was staring at me. With a quizzical look, I turned to face him. When I did, his attention snapped from my cheek to where—he assumed—my eyes were; he assumed correctly. That's when I remembered the cut on my cheek.

"Training Room," I elaborated before refacing the doors. That was all I wanted to elaborate on.

"That wound was caused by a sword," Sephiroth replied matter-of-factly. "Who were you sparring with?"

I humphed at my own damned luck before tilting my head to look at him, "You."

The elevator to our right dinged and swished open. I started to walk towards it but was stopped as Sephiroth held his arm out in front of me.

"You fought _me_?" He asked, obviously curious. His eyes weren't the only cat-like feature to him, "How and why?"

I sighed, ducked under his arm, and stepped into the elevator. He followed after me and then I pressed the button for the Forty-ninth Floor. I folded my arms again.

"I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and picked a random program. No one was in the Training Room at the time, and I don't know how to use the console thingy. So, whatever program I picked had you in it. Let's just say: I'm never doing that again, I can see why you're the number one guy around here, and you will _never_ have to worry about me trying to fight you in the near future."

Sephiroth made the same sound of amusement his copy had made earlier; I withheld my shudder.

"Glad to hear it," he replied.

I smirked, "However, I can say that should _you_ decide to fight me, you better be careful." I wiggled my fingers at him as the elevator doors opened, "This kitty's got claws."

"Shouldn't that be 'doggy's'?" Sephiroth asked as he took the lead.

I followed obediently behind him, "Technicalities, my good man! Who needs them?"

The SOLDIERs waiting for Sephiroth to arrive—I was shocked to see—weren't all SOLDIERs. Two Grunts, one of them being Cloud, and Jerry were standing at attention in a line. Beside them stood Zack with his hands on hips, stalking the area impatiently. When the men snapped to attention, Zack turned to face Sephiroth and me. He frowned at me in confusion, but remained silent.

Sephiroth stopped in front of the boys—I didn't consider them old enough to be men—and looked them over. He was probably determining if what lay before him was worthy enough to attend the mission. I was a little miffed that these little Grunts had been picked over me, but I tried to ignore my feelings of envy. Suddenly, Zack spoke.

"By the way, where are we going?" He asked.

Sephiroth turned to face him, "To Nibelheim."

My eyes flickered over to Cloud. His facial expression turned from a blank stare to shock. I would best describe it as, 'Ah shit.' I chuckled once. There's no place like home.

**A/N: Return of the Elevators! Noooo! And OH, THE FORESHADOWING AND IRONY! **

"_**I'm not one to let sleeping dogs lie."**_** I couldn't resist! -snort- It was too tempting. You should know who I am referring to ;). **_**(Edit: It was Vincent. No one got it…)**_**Also, I fucked myself over when I promoted Jerry. I thought that only SOLDIERs went to Nibelheim, and it was actually three random Grunts. Cloud, Random A, and Random B. Guess which one Jerry is! You know, even though I've played Crisis Core about four times and it's been played more recently than FFVII...I still remember the events of FFVII better. Why is that O.o?**

**I have no idea how the virtual reality thing works. In the beginning, Zack's wearing that eye thingy that makes him look like Cyclops, and that's understandable. However, Angeal isn't wearing one. Then later, neither is Sephiroth, Angeal, or Genesis. In the DMW sequences with Angeal and Zack, they don't wear them—but Angeal does use the screen on the inside of the room to turn off the VR system. How can they be physically injured by virtual enemies? How can Genesis walk on a canon with visible depth changes when the room itself is flat? I DON'T KNOW! It makes no sense! So, in my version, IT MAKES NO SENSE! Stick to the original, why not?**

**Fun fact: This entire, I repeat, this ENTIRE FAN FICTION spawned from that one fight with Sephiroth. I was half-ass asleep back in high school and was thinking about Digimon (yeah, I'm a fan, bite me) and I pictured this dark cross between Sakuyamon and Angewomon (Google them if you don't know) and for WHATEVER REASON I made this thing fight Sephiroth. Somehow my brain went, "...that's interesting. I wonder if you could make that Digimon a not-Digimon and have it fit in the FFVII universe." Guess what. I did. -points at Anubis- It's amazing what a few years of tweaking, new video games, and coincidences can do.**

**Saan throttling Hojo and standing up to Sephiroth were two other ideas that I had before writing any of this fan fiction. The throttling scene was a lot more violent in my head, but I had to water it down because if I didn't...Shin-Ra would fillet me alive. I can imagine Hojo letting something like **_**that**_** 'roll off his shoulders' in the name of science...but if I, oh, threw him into the consoles, broke a few bones, and then stormed out...yeah. No. I don't think that'd fly too well. -grumbles-**

**P.S. I made your gift better-per Risikaa's request-and now it kicks ass. -grins- Oh, and here's the links to Risikaa's drawings:**

**mixgoldenphoenix(dot)deviantart(dot)com/gallery/#/d2tn6kx**

**mixgoldenphoenix(dot)deviantart(dot)com/gallery/#/d2tn741**

**Reviews make me happy o3o.**


	21. Nibelheim

**A/N: Three chapters at once. Have fun :D. I rough-drafted all of this beforehand because I didn't want to forget anything. I thought it would be quicker this way; I was wrong. Ronnie beta'd these three chapters because poor Risikaa hasn't been on in a few days…and I'm impatient. Sorry, Risikaa! X.x;**

**Kudos: Mooncry, SageofAges729, Risikaa, Ultimate, S. Voltaire, Dreylen, Gray Wolf Demon, Crystalfeathers.**

**Warnings: -cowers and squints- Please don't kill me!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I do, however, own this plot, Saan, Jerry, Ronnie (though he may disagree), and a mind that was raised on soap operas and dramas. –thumbs up-**

_**Edited on 2 November 2010 for errors and goofs. I have a headache… -whine- Hetalia didn't heal it, either. I think I may have to result to Advil.**_

It was pouring down rain outside on our way to Nibelheim. We were traveling by truck to the little town out in the middle of nowhere. I had no idea how long it was going to take to get there, but I really wished that it would hurry the hell up. The truck was spacious in its own right, but considering how many people were in it…it was a little cramped, too.

Cloud, wearing his helmet, was sitting on the bench opposite me and Sephiroth. He was facing the back doors and didn't look too good. He probably had motion sickness—the ground _was_ extremely bumpy wherever the hell we were. Sephiroth was to my left, arms crossed as he stared intently at the ground. Nothing unusual there. Jerry was standing in the back, his helmet also on. His body language made me assume he didn't really care either way if he was on the mission or not. Zack was doing a not-too-brilliant thing by standing right in front of the back doors, looking outside one of the tiny windows. Random A was driving us. Not that there was a Random B, but Random A sounded better than just Random—probably because it ended with a vowel.

Most of the ride we had spent in silence. Actually, the entire ride we had spent in silence. There really was nothing to do in the back of a truck/van, and since half our occupants either wouldn't talk—Sephiroth—or couldn't talk—Cloud—the rest of us just decided to keep our mouths shut and listen to the rain hitting hard against the metal vehicle. But, Zack, being the restless Puppy, couldn't sit (or stand) still for long, or stay quiet for that matter, and so he took it upon himself to strike up a conversation.

"It sure is raining hard," he said, stating the obvious and making a clichéd comment about the weather. He walked over to Cloud and frowned a little, "Hey, how are you doing?"

Cloud waved at him dismissively, hanging his head in an attempt not to blow chunks all over the floor, "I'm all right."

Zack shrugged, "I wouldn't know… I've never had motion sickness."

My thoughts briefly wandered to Ronnie and I silently chided myself for not going and getting my phone before I left. There hadn't been much time to grab it anyway, not if I wanted to force myself onto the mission. Sephiroth no doubt would have left me behind. Zack had walked to Jerry as I was thinking.

"Everything okay?"

Jerry merely nodded and Zack walked back to the center of the truck. Why the child was walking around the back of a moving vehicle, I had no idea, but it definitely wasn't the smartest thing to do in the world. Should the driver slam on his breaks, he'd go flying. Of course, that would be an amusing image to see. Sephiroth finally got tired of Zack's anxious pacing.

"Settle down," He said. Quick and to the point. As usual.

Zack, however, was Zack, and instead of settling down and taking a seat, he started doing squats.

"They gave me some new Materia," Zack grinned. "I can't wait to use it."

Sephiroth shook his head and sighed, "Just like a kid."

Now that there was a conversation going, I decided that it would be as good a time as any to ask what the hell they were going to be doing in Nibelheim. I turned my attention away from the dark-haired youth doing his usual routine and looked at Sephiroth.

"You going to brief me about this mission?" I asked.

I tried to keep my tone curious so as not to upset him again. The last thing I wanted to do was get into a verbal fight with the General inside a cramped truck/van with Zack, Cloud, and Jerry watching. That would have been awkward for everyone involved. Which was why I had left off the 'or what.' Two little words could quickly make a question turn hostile.

Sephiroth was silent for a moment, probably wondering if he wanted to speak to me again or not. Eventually he sighed and replied—without looking up from the floor.

"This isn't a typical mission."

"Well, I'd figured that," I replied. When he gave me a knowing look, I realized what he meant. "Ah."

Quickly masking the look into his normal stare, he continued, "Our mission is to investigate an old Mako Reactor. There have been reports of it malfunctioning, and producing brutal creatures…among other things. First, we will dispose of those creatures. Then, we'll locate the problem and neutralize it."

Zack, having stopped his squats, frowned and crossed his arms, "Brutal creature…?"

Sephiroth turned his head to look at him, "It's been terrorizing the villagers in Nibelheim."

Cloud shifted uncomfortably, "Nibelheim… That's where I'm from."

Sephiroth nodded in understanding before frowning, "Hmm…hometown…"

I wanted to ask Sephiroth where he was from but I never even got to open my mouth. My eyes widened as a shrill sound pierced my ears. It was so loud and so painful that I cried out, clutching at my ears. However, the helmet prevented me from reaching my ears, so I wound up uselessly grabbing _it_ instead.

Through the horrid screech I could hear Sephiroth ask, "What's wrong?"

And the next thing I knew, the driver was slamming on the brakes. The truck-van shuddered as the wheels locked up as they skid along the wet ground. Everyone tried to steady themselves; but, since I was holding my head and not really paying attention to anything but the ringing, I wound up being sent flying backwards off the bench.

I fell off the bench, rolled, and grunted as my back collided with the front wall. The jarring impact made my head jerk back then forward, sending my helmet clattering to the floor. As soon as it left my head the ringing stopped. I groaned and rubbed at the back of my neck. Hopefully I wouldn't get whiplash…

The vehicle came to a stop and then shuddered again. It felt as if something had run into the side of it. I heard Random A turn around in his seat to face us in the back. Jerry helped me up off the floor.

"Are you all right?" He asked, pulling me up by my right arm.

My left hand was pressed against my forehead as I still felt the aftereffects of the sound, "Yeah…"

"Sir…s," the driver said nervously, "something strange just crashed into our truck!"

Sephiroth stood up, his hand tightening slightly around the Masamune, "That would be our Monster."

From the impact the creature had made against the vehicle, actually making the whole vehicle rock, I knew that the monster was going to be big. I had not, however, expected what I saw when I stepped out of the back. Near us stood a massive, green dragon.

It looked a little disproportionate to me. Its stomach and back legs were huge, as was its tail, but its torso, neck, and wings were small. No way could the creature fly with the tiny, leathery appendages sticking out of its back. At least, not by using the Laws of Physics.

I stared at the monster, mouth agape, as Sephiroth and Zack ran full-speed at it. Cloud, Jerry and Random A cleverly waited closer to the truck.

"Holy shit," I muttered, blinking the rain from my eyelashes.

Sure, I was a First and should have joined the fight with Sephiroth and Zack, but I valued my life. No way in hell was I going to go up against a dragon with a measly staff weapon. And I didn't fancy the idea of casting Thundaga in the rain. No, I cleverly kept my ass near the truck-van, too, and silently rooted Sephiroth and Zack on.

The fight was amazingly short. Zack had tried, and failed, to attack the dragon. As he ran towards it, the monster rose onto its back legs and sent a stream of fire at the youth. He cried out in alarm and just managed to dodge in time. Zack tried to attack again, but from behind. The dragon wanted no part of that and raised its tail into the air. Zack, realizing his mistake, slammed on the brakes, wound up slipping in the mud, fell, and then rolled away as fast as he could as the dragon's tail slammed into the ground with a tremendous _BOOM_!

Sephiroth, seeing his opening, rushed at the dragon with amazing speed. Two well-aimed slashes of the Masamune later, and the dragon was down for the count. As the General walked back towards the vehicle, Zack following dejectedly behind, I briefly wondered why the others were put on the mission in the first place. Sephiroth seemed to be able to take care of things by himself, why was Zack needed? Was it just because Genesis was involved? I frowned. That would make sense if Shin-Ra was afraid Sephiroth would follow in Genesis' footsteps.

I turned to go back into the truck and paused when I saw the looks of awe on Jerry and Cloud's faces—what I could see of their faces, anyway. I snorted and smirked. They had never gotten the privilege of watching Sephiroth in action before. It must have been pretty shocking. I didn't know how close Sephiroth was to me until he passed by me on my right. I jumped a little, silently cursing at how quiet he could be.

"Come on," He commanded. "We need to find the source of the malfunction and fix it immediately. If we don't…"

"They're'll be more of those," I finished for him.

"Or worse," Sephiroth replied as he stepped into the back of the truck.

I took a quick look at Cloud. He was staring at the spot Sephiroth had stood before he disappeared into the truck. It was obvious the kid was worried about the likelihood of even worse monsters popping up around his hometown. I frowned at him and waved my hand at his face, trying to get his attention. It worked, for the kid recoiled away from my hand and swatted at it.

"Knock it off," he mumbled.

I smirked at him and entered the truck. Jerry and Cloud followed after. Zack waited until the driver was back in his seat before hopping in and shutting the doors tightly behind him. Everyone but me was soaked from the downpour outside. Well, Sephiroth was half-soaked. His leather attire made it easy for the rain to slide off his clothes, but anywhere that wasn't covered by his trench coat—head and chest—was shining from its nice but brief shower. Somehow his bangs still managed to stay mostly upright. Was it possible to have genetically pointy hair? Cloud and Zack were a fine example, if so.

Even though my suit had kept me dry, my hair was soaked through. I felt like a drowned rat. Frowning, I grabbed my hair, held it off to the side, and twisted it. Water dripped onto the floor as the van started moving again. Hopefully no one would slip in it.

My eyes wandered to my helmet as it lay in the floor where it had fallen. I was quite content on leaving it there. I was afraid that if I put it back on, the horrible sound would come back. Glaring at the inanimate object, I folded my arms and then looked away from it. Cloud was staring at me. Probably because it was the first time he'd seen me without my helmet and, since there was no giant monster attacking us, he actually had time to look at my face. I crossed my eyes at him and stuck out my tongue. He frowned and looked away, while Sephiroth cast me a sideways glance.

My helmet was raised into my peripheral vision. I leaned my head back a bit to focus on it, then looked up to the person who was handing it to me. It was Jerry. Naturally, Zack was still standing by the doors. Who else could it have been? I narrowed my eyes at it and took it reluctantly.

"Are you all right?" Zack asked, concern evident in his voice. "You seemed kind of out of it before."

"The helmet gave off a high-pitched noise," I replied, placing it on my lap.

"Odd," Sephiroth said. "I didn't hear anything."

I frowned, "Yeah, well, I did and it hurt like hell. I'll refrain from putting it back on until we're not in danger of being attacked by any more man-eating monsters. The last thing you need is an incapacitated soldier on the field."

Jerry shifted uncomfortably, "…will Shin-Ra like you exposing yourself to the townspeople?"

I had forgotten about that. I wasn't even supposed to be going to Nibelheim, so screwing up there would be a very bad thing to do indeed.

"Good point," I muttered.

"Leave the suit on until we reach Nibelheim," Sephiroth explained, "just in case we do run into more monsters. It will still offer you protection, even without the helmet. If you're still apprehensive about wearing the helmet when we reach the town, simply deactivate your suit. I doubt the people will even know you're from SOLDIER."

I nodded.

—**FFVII—**

Sephiroth lead our way into Nibelheim. Jerry and Cloud were walking behind him on either side with me and Zack trailing along behind them. I immediately noticed how old-fashioned and quaint the houses of Nibelheim were. Especially compared to a city like Midgar. It was actually a cute little village. I was starting to wonder how many people actually lived on Gaia in total, because none of the cities I had been to outside Midgar were very big. Not like Earth's cities at all. But, maybe there weren't many people in Nibelheim simply because it _was_ the middle of nowhere. If I remembered correctly, that's why Shin-Ra put a Reactor there in the first place. Nothing else out there, as Cloud and Zack had said.

I also noticed that, though the small town reminded me of Kalm, it had no protective wall around it. I found that strange since it was so close to a Reactor, where monsters were known to show up, but it was unprotected from attacks. Maybe that's why we SOLDIERs had been called. Well, Sephiroth and Zack had been asked for specifically. Cloud, Jerry, and I were just tag-alongs.

Cloud really had no idea why he had been assigned on the mission. I thought it was because the Security Department just didn't want to get shown up by SOLDIER. The regular army always had this strange resentment towards the stronger group. Of course, I could have been wrong.

Jerry had told me in the truck just before we arrived that he was only on the mission because Cloud was having difficulty rounding up people and he had nothing better to do. Same had applied to Random A, I suspected. But, Random A actually had done something—he drove. And, at that time, he was driving away and leaving us to fend for ourselves in the small town.

Sephiroth stopped at the tiny entrance.

"So, how does it feel?" He asked suddenly, turning to face Cloud. "To be home after all this time? I have no hometown. I wouldn't know."

It was such a simple statement, but it made me feel guilty and sympathetic. If Sephiroth had no hometown, just exactly what did that mean? Had he been raised by Shin-Ra?

Zack came up beside me, "Uh…what about family?"

Sephiroth looked at him, "My mother's name is Jenova. She died shortly after I was born. My father…" He trailed off and then laughed, shaking his head, "Why am I talking about this? Come on, let's go."

I watched silently as Sephiroth, Cloud, and Jerry walked further into Nibelheim. Zack and I stayed behind.

"Sephiroth's mother's name is Jenova?" Zack asked skeptically, crossing his arms, "Huh…"

I felt a strong sense of foreboding, "You think that's just a coincidence?"

He shrugged, "I don't know."

"…it would mean a lot of things if it wasn't."

"The Mako smell is pretty bad here," I heard Sephiroth say before he turned and looked back at me and Zack. He called out to us, "Hurry up."

I faced Zack and we shared a look before walking after the others. I noticed that there weren't many people hanging around outside. It wasn't at all impossible that they were afraid of us. Shin-Ra did have quite the reputation in those days.

Sephiroth tried to walk to the Inn. I knew that's what it was because it oh-so-conveniently announced so on the sign hanging beside the door. However, before he could go in, a young girl's voice stopped him. I turned to face the voice and was surprised to see a girl of about sixteen standing there wearing a revealing cowgirl outfit. I frowned at her. Who in their right mind would wear something like that? And in the frigid mountain air of Nibelheim at that?

"Are you one of the SOLDIER people who've come to investigate?" She asked.

Zack turned to face her and stepped up to the plate, "Yeah, my name is Zack, and I'm with SOLDIER. First Class, mind you, First Class!"

I snickered and rolled my eyes. Show off.

"Huh." Tifa replied.

Zack frowned a little, "What do you mean, 'Huh'?"

"Are there a lot of SOLDIER First Classes?"

I frowned. The girl was extremely curious about SOLDIER for some reason. It was a little unsettling. Or maybe that was just my Turk training kicking in. Not that I had much Turk training, but some things tended to stick. Like being suspicious and deceitful.

"Nope," Zack replied, "we're a small, elite group."

"They only sent two?" the girl asked.

"Three," I replied, waving at her in a smug manner with a small smile on my face.

She frowned a little as she looked at me, "Three, then…?"

Zack looked back at me then at Sephiroth before re-facing the girl, "Yeah, me, Saan, and Sephiroth."

The girl turned away, "Uh-huh…" She walked a few steps away, turned back as if to say something, didn't, and suddenly ran away.

Zack folded his arms, "Weird girl…"

"I'd think that to be obvious by her outfit in this weather," I replied blankly.

Figuring there was nothing better to do in Nibelheim but coop myself up in the Inn, I walked towards it. Sephiroth was still standing in front of the door, silently observing everything. His eyes landed on Zack.

"We depart for the reactor at dawn." He said, "Make sure you get some rest as well."

Cloud ran up behind Zack. Sephiroth stopped as he was about to enter the door, turned back, and looked at Cloud, as if sensing the boy's anxiousness.

"Ah, that's right… You have permission to go visit family and friends, if you so wish."

And with that, Sephiroth finally entered the Inn. Instead of following after him, I looked back at Cloud. He was in his hometown, where everyone knew him, and yet he still had his helmet on. Unlike me, normal SOLDIERs and Infantrymen were not required to wear their helmets 24-7. I mean, yeah, it was preferred if one did, but there would be no repercussions for doing otherwise.

"Nibelheim, huh…" Zack muttered to himself.

Finally unable to take it anymore, I just had to ask, "Why are you still wearing your helmet?"

Cloud flinched a little, "It's…personal."

"Weirdo," Zack said, raising an eyebrow at him. Cloud stuck his tongue out at him in retaliation.

Jerry came up to me, "I'm going to listen to Sephiroth's advice and get some rest. That way," he looked at Cloud, "I can switch with you later and you can get some rest as well."

"D'aaaw," I mocked as Jerry walked into the Inn.

"Shut up," he replied before the door shut behind him.

I turned back to face Zack and Cloud, a grin plastered on my face, "Ya'll are so fun to tease."

Leaving the two boys where they were, I walked into the Inn. Inside was mostly wooden. Wooden floors; wooden desk; wooden stairs. I hadn't seen so much brown before in my life. The Innkeeper was a middle-aged woman and, from the looks of it, her and her husband probably lived in the building they worked at. Well, if your house was big enough, I supposed…

My attention was drawn from the woman behind the desk to the older man standing beside it. He had his back turned towards me and was wearing a red cape, of all things, with his grey hair tied back into a ponytail. His character I found to be very intriguing and I couldn't help but walk towards him. As I approached, I noticed he was talking to himself.

"…Hmm. Is Shin-Ra to get rid of the monsters?"

"Yeah," I replied as I stood behind him. "Who are you?"

The man looked up from the floor, turned, and faced me.

"I'm Zangan. I travel around the world teaching children martial arts." He put his hands on his hips in a superhero pose, obviously proud of his students, "I have 128 students all over the world!"

"Wow…" I muttered.

It was obvious the old man liked to brag and take pride in his work. Again my mind wandered to how many people were on Gaia. I was sure it was nowhere near as much as Earth's population. That might have been a good thing.

Zangan continued, "In this town, a girl named Tifa is my student."

"Tifa?" I asked, my thoughts on the girl we'd run into earlier.

He nodded, "Tifa has good sense. She'll be a powerful fighter."

"Do you only teach children?"

"I prefer to limit my teachings to them, yes. Why? Are you interested in becoming a student?"

"Interested, yes." I replied, "Sadly, I don't get much time off from work to train in martial arts. I probably wouldn't even be able to learn from you even if you _were_ to train me because of that."

The man hummed thoughtfully, looking down at the floor. Eventually he raised his head up to look at me, "Might I suggest training in Wutai?"

An involuntary shudder ran through my body as I remember the giant beast from the training mission, "Are they good there?"

"Only the best."

"I might have to check that out," I frowned thoughtfully.

I heard the door to the Inn open, but didn't pay any attention to whoever had walked in. I jumped a little when Zack called out to me and then turned to face him.

"I'm going to look around a bit before crashing, will you tell Sephiroth?" He asked.

"Sure," I replied, "I was going to put up my staff anyway."

The boy nodded, "Ok, thanks."

He left and I turned to face Zangan again. He was looking at me, a small frown on his lips.

"You're with Shin-Ra?" He asked.

"SOLDIER," I replied sternly. To me, there was a difference.

He was hesitant before speaking again, "If you're still thinking about training in Wutai, I think you should realize that they still hate Shin-Ra there. Shin-Ra _did_ strip them of their essence, and I've heard how there's plans of making it into a resort town."

I smirked, "Who says they have to know I'm with Shin-Ra? Do I look like I'm from SOLDIER?"

Zangan squinted at me, and I knew he was looking for traces of Mako in my eyes. The man wasn't as ignorant about Shin-Ra as the girl outside had been. Soon, realization flashed in his eyes and his face because confused.

"No…How—?"

I cut him off, "It's been nice talking to you, Master Zangan, but I've got to go now."

I bowed deeply, half mocking the man, before I stood back up and headed for the stairs. I really did love toying with people too much. I guess in that way, I did fit in with Shin-Ra. And I wasn't against lying my way into getting trained at Wutai. I could use it; I wanted it; and I had no qualms doing something not very honorable to get it. Angeal was probably frowning down on me because of that attitude.

After climbing the stairs, the building split. To my right was a bathroom, the door open so guests knew it wasn't preoccupied. Thankfully, there was not only a sink and toilet, but also a tub with a shower. Personally, I didn't mind taking a shower every few days. However, men that ran around fighting monsters tended to get stinky after a while, and that was one experience my nose did not want. And no matter how God-like everyone thought Sephiroth to be, he _had_ to at least stink like the rest of us after a hard day's work.

To my left there was a hallway that led down to our room. In said hallway stood Sephiroth as he looked out of the second big window on the floor. Curious, I walked over to him. He seemed lost in thought; he didn't even look at me when I reached him. Determined to see what was so interesting to the silver-haired man, I tried to peek around him. Tried and failed. He was taller than I was, and jumping behind him only worked so far; and trying to peek around his shoulders and arms didn't work either.

About the time I started jumping for the second time was when Sephiroth had finally had enough of whatever the hell I was doing behind him. He looked over his shoulder, a frown on his face. I stopped jumping and stared back.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Trying to see what you're staring so intently at," I replied, folding my arms across my chest.

The frown faded and an expression I couldn't quite describe danced across his features. He looked back out the window, "This landscape… I could swear I've seen it before."

I shrugged, "Maybe you have."

"I would remember being here before, Saan," He replied, a little aggravated.

I stared at the back of his head, "I was raised in different places as a child; but, I still remembered them when I returned years later." I frowned and looked at the ground, trying to recall old memories, "Though, I only remember bits and pieces of my childhood." I scoffed, "That's what happens when you're constantly exchanged between caretakers. …That and that Tornado didn't help. I wouldn't doubt it if what I remember is simply what flashed before my eyes in a near-death experience, or something…since my memories are less fuzzy after then. And I was six at the time, so I should be able to remember more from before the tornado."

Realizing I was rambling, I shut up and looked up from the floor. I was surprised to see Sephiroth looking at me with his own expression of surprise. I hadn't even noticed he'd turned away from the window.

"What?" I asked in a tone of voice that sounded like, 'Is there something on my face?'

"That's the first time you've volunteered something about your past," he replied.

I felt a little awkward, "Yeah, well, you did the same earlier. Consider it…payback…or something." I knew the word I was looking for wasn't 'payback' but I couldn't for the life of me remember what it was.

"You were in a tornado?" he asked.

I nodded, "Our house was picked up and thrown into the one next door."

I bent down, grabbed the bottom of my cargo pants, and started to lift it up. Feeling myself start to wobble, I quickly slammed my foot against the windowsill to steady myself and finished pulling up the pants' leg until it was over my knee. I pointed at the three-quarters of an inch, white scar that was just under it on the left side.

"I have a scar to prove it," I continued. "It was much bigger than that when it first happened. Took eight stitches. I think it got infected a little, and it hurt like hell when they took the stitches out."

Sephiroth frowned, "No one had Cure?"

I dropped my leg back to the floor, shaking my pants leg so that it covered my boot, "Nope. Would have made my life a little easier, though, that's for sure. I also have a scar near my hairline from where I cracked my head open on a coffee table."

Sephiroth smirked.

Frowning, I said, "Hey, it wasn't funny! That shit hurt. What about you?" I nodded at him, "You got any scars?"

The smirk stayed on his face, "Not one. Unlike your folks, I had Cure."

"_Lucky_," I replied before nodding back towards the room we were to be staying in. "Is Jerry asleep?"

"The Third?" Sephiroth asked, looking back towards the room, "He went in; I don't know if he's asleep or not."

I walked towards to open door, and then I remembered what Zack had told me, "Zack says he's going to check the place out before going to bed."

As I was walking into the room I heard Sephiroth mutter to himself, "I'm not waking him up in the morning."

I chuckled evilly to myself at the image of the boy sleeping late because of Sephiroth's refusal to wake him up. Scanning the room, I realized that there were only three beds. I frowned. Should a fight break out about the beds, I was claiming the floor. I actually preferred the floor to a bed.

Jerry was sleeping in the third bed—the bed farthest from the door. I walked to the opposite wall of the door and leaned my staff against one of the windows. Then I turned and looked down at Jerry. The little cracker still had his helmet on, even though he was trying to sleep! That could not be comfortable. It should be removed.

Smirking evilly to myself, I walked around the bed and came up behind Jerry. I grabbed a hold of his helmet, but before I could yank it off, his hands suddenly shot to his head, gripping the infernal thing. I yelped in surprise and then growled, determined to get the damn thing off. A tug-of-war ensued over the helmet. After some grunting and yelping from both Jerry and me, Jerry flipped and rolled off the bed. Because I didn't let go in time, I was yanked forward and ran into the bed. I bounced off and landed on my ass. Jerry sat back up, his head peeking over the other side of the bed as he fixed his helmet.

"You will stop at nothing to see me without my helmet, is that it?" He yelled breathlessly.

"I will stop at nothing!" I yelled back, pointing at him, "You're not being fair!"

"Cloud's wearing his mask!" Jerry exclaimed in his defense.

"So!" I asked, "His is personal!"

"Well, mine's personal, too!" He shouted, folding his arms, "So there!"

"Buh," I tried to complain, "Oooh." Standing up, I pointed at him again, "I will see you without your helmet, mark my words."

"You're insane!" Jerry called after me as I stormed out of the room.

Upon entering the hallway I saw Sephiroth had his head cocked just enough that he could raise an eyebrow at me. I frowned at him and kept going.

"Don't. Ask." I said.

"I wasn't going to," He replied, slightly amused.

I stormed out of the Inn. I wasn't really angry or upset at Jerry; I was more pissed off at myself for not being able to get his helmet off. My fail had planned…epically. I didn't really know why the kid was always wearing his helmet around me. Surely the damn thing wasn't glued to his head, so why was he so insistent on me not seeing what he looked like? If I'd had my phone on me, I would have called Ronnie and asked if he'd ever seen the elusive face of Jerry; but I didn't so I couldn't.

Stepping outside, I noticed that Zack was standing in front of the water tower that stood in the center of Nibelheim. He seemed to be contemplating something as he looked up at it. Frowning, I walked over to him.

"What's going on? I thought you were exploring," I said.

"Oh, I was. But that kid over there," he jerked his thumb to a boy standing near the entrance, "says that there's some weird Seven Wonders of Nibelheim. He wanted me to find them and see if they were real or not. I'm just humoring him because I have nothing better to do. One of the wonders is supposed to be this tower. He says the water comes out red."

I paused, trying to digest the bizarre information, before replying, "And you believe him?"

Zack frowned at me, catching the skepticism in my voice. He walked over to one of the taps on the tower and turned it on. Sure enough, red water came dripping out onto the ground. One could easily tell from the thickness of it that it was still water, and not blood like the child probably thought, but it _was_ kinda creepy.

I nodded slowly, "Well then. Something in the water must be turning it red."

Zack turned the valve off, "What? Like rust?"

I shook my head, "No, rust comes out more of an orange color. Give me a boost and I'll look in the tank."

Zack blinked. And then he stared at me like I'd lost what little mind I had left.

"Oh, come on!" I exclaimed, motioning with my hands, "I don't weigh that much. Just make sure you don't catapult me into the water."

"…you can climb up on the other side," Zack replied matter-of-factly.

I whined, "Yes, but then I'd have to walk around. Come on, this way's easier."

Zack sighed, but walked over to me anyway and cupped his hands for me to step into them, "You really love making things difficult."

I stepped into his hand.

"Oh, please," I said as he lifted me up. "I make things fun. By the way, Sephiroth says he's not waking you up in the morning."

"Did he?" Zack asked, his tone of voice uncaring. He seemed to be a little upset with Sephiroth over something, but I couldn't quite tell what.

Once both my feet were on the small walkway circling the water barrel, I stood up and walked to the side of it. I had to stand on my tip-toes a little to look deep enough into the water. The entire barrel's supply was red. Squinting, I peered through the red water and eventually spotted a glinting Materia in the bottom of it. Ah, so that explained it.

"Well?" Zack asked curiously. "Is there anything up there?"

"A red Materia," I replied.

I started to pace along the walkway. I had left my staff in the Inn, so I couldn't reach the magic orb. And there was no way I was going to be able to reach it with just my tiny little arms. I'm sure Sephiroth might have been able to do it—if he put his waist on the railing of the barrel and leaned over as far as he could. I snickered at the mental image I conjured up. I briefly wondered that, if he were to fall in, would he come out looking red? Like he'd fallen into a big batch of Kool-aid…

"Hm," Zack said thoughtfully. "The color must have seeped into the water. Red Materia is usually Summon Materia."

"Summon?" I asked, looking down at him.

He nodded, "Yeah."

I snapped my head back to the shiny orb. Inside it laid a creature of immeasurable power that more than likely looked really cool. I wanted it.

"Right, then," I said, leaning over the edge of the barrel in a futile attempt to reach it anyway. After a few seconds of trying, I gave up and dropped back down to the walkway. Sighing, I said, "Zack, gimme your sword."

I waited for Zack to do so, or at least answer, but none of those things happened. Frowning, I turned back around to look at him. His eyebrows were raised, arms folded across his chest, as he stared at me with slight amusement. I didn't know why he was amused until it occurred to me that the Buster Sword was gigantic and it wasn't possible for me to lift it. Hell, I probably couldn't even drag the darn thing.

"Oh…" I muttered. "Right. Zack, go around and climb up and use your sword to reach it."

"Didn't I mention something about that earlier?" He asked, frowning.

"Shuddup and climb!" I commanded, my Southern roots showing horribly.

Zack rolled his eyes but walked over to the other side of the water tower. I heard him climbing up the ladder, and then his spiky head popped up across from me. Zack looked into the water and frowned. Taking the sword off his back, he dipped it into the tank and eased the Materia towards me. Using the side of the barrel as a barrier, he pushed the Materia up and out of the tank. I caught it just as it started to roll off the tip of the Buster Sword.

As my fingers wrapped around the orb, a flash of an image ran through my mind. Inside the tiny, red Materia was Phoenix. The rock was remarkably warm—giving off the heat of the creature locked within. I stared down at the Materia in awe.

"Well?" Zack asked, bringing me back to reality. "What is it?"

"Phoenix," I replied, wiping some of the water off it with my thumb.

"Hm," Zack said. "I'm not entirely sure what that one does. I've never used it before. Maybe Sephiroth knows more about it. H-hey!"

Zack called out to me, but I was already off the water tower and running for the Inn again. I'd never held a Summon before, let alone use one, and having my first one be Phoenix—my favorite mythological creature and one that adorned my copper necklace—I felt like a kid in a candy store. So, naturally, I was going to show it off to Sephiroth. Plus, just before I bolted, Zack had said the General might know what the creature did when summoned. I just _had_ to find out.

Rushing into the Inn, I ignored the gasp from the Innkeeper as I slammed the door open violently. I ran up the stairs as fast as I could without tripping myself. As luck would have it, Sephiroth was still standing in front of the window. He turned towards me, surprise once again on his graceful features, as I ran up to him, grinning like a maniac.

"What is this?" I asked, thrusting the red Materia towards him as I held it between my pointer finger and thumb.

He frowned, "That would be a Summon Materia. Where did you find it?"

"In the water tower outside. Zack helped me get it—"

I stopped talking when Sephiroth suddenly reached for the thing. At the same time that he grasped a hold of the orb, my own fingers tightened around it as well. He was trying to take my Materia! Refusing to let go, I pulled back on it a little.

"What are you doing?" I asked, though I actually meant 'Why?'

Sephiroth's frown deepened, "Let go, Saan. You have no business wielding Summon Materia."

I pulled back on the Materia, "No! I will not let go! It's mine. I found it."

"I thought you said—"

"He only _retrieved_ it. That's a big difference. You cannot have my Phoenix!" I exclaimed childishly, narrowing my eyes at him while tightening my grip even more. The orb was so tiny we were actually partially holding hands, but at that point, I did not care.

Sephiroth, accepting my challenge, also narrowed his eyes, "Saan, you can't use this Summon. Let go."

"Why can't I use it?" I snapped. "Is it because I'm inexperienced? If it is, that's your own damn fault!"

Sephiroth actually twitched, "No, it's not because you're inexperienced. With your mastery of Thunder magic, I'm sure you would have no problem summoning Phoenix; however, since no one is dead in the immediate vicinity, you don't need it. Let go."

So that's what Phoenix did. It brought people back to life. Made sense when I thought about it. It was the master of rebirth, after all. Since I then knew what it did, I definitely didn't want to let it go.

"No," I replied, tugging on the Materia again.

Sephiroth sighed, "Saan, you're being childish again."

I jerked my arm as hard as I could, "Nevar!"

I must have surprised Sephiroth because the motion actually made him budge. He budged about an inch, but he still budged. I would have felt proud that I was able to move the Almighty Sephiroth, if not for the fact that I had ticked him off. And I was going to have to pay…

"Very well, then," he said lowly. "You leave me no choice."

And just as I had, Sephiroth yanked back on the Materia. Hard. And Sephiroth's hard yanks were way stronger than my hard yanks. With a yelp, I was pulled forward. I started to stumble and released my grip on the Materia so that I could catch myself when I hit the ground. And some few feet behind Sephiroth, I did hit the ground.

"This Materia stays with Zack," Sephiroth muttered behind me.

I mumbled into the floor about how it wasn't fair, shoved myself off the ground, and spun to glare at the silver-headed man. He didn't seem too bothered by the fact he just made a girl fall face-first to the floor. Then again, not many people considered me a girl—self included.

"I _will_ have that Summon one way or another," I growled.

He smirked as he pocketed the Materia, "Just like you'll somehow see that young SOLDIER's face?"

His question momentarily caught me off-guard.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Been dropping eaves, have we?"

Sephiroth gave a little sound of amusement, "I don't have to eavesdrop with as loud as you scream."

_FWOOSH!_ It was amazing how such an innocent little statement could send me into the gutter. How did I know it was innocent? Only when hell froze over while winged pigs soared would Sephiroth make a sexual pun…let alone _towards me._ Of course, going into the gutter brought wonderful little images that I was better off not seeing.

I twitched, squinting my eyes as if that would somehow help in my fight against the mental images. I also shook my head and hands in a hard-to-miss 'no' manner. The only thing I _didn't_ do was stick my tongue out. While I had my eyes shut and was shaking my head, Sephiroth spoke again.

"Are you all right? You look like a seizing rat."

I opened my eyes and stared at him, the perverted thoughts running away to be replaced by, 'What the fuck kind of expression is _that_?'

"…I don't even want to know how _you know _what one of those looks like," I said.

Sephiroth paused before replying blankly, "I was raised around labs."

"Oh…" I squeaked out—furthering my mouse behavior.

In my defense, I didn't know much of anything about Sephiroth's past, so I shouldn't have held myself responsible for bringing up the sore, bizarre subject. However, I did. I didn't exactly know what Sephiroth meant by what he said, but if those labs were Shin-Ra owned and Hojo was in them, he had one hell of a childhood. That _would_ have explained why the General despised the greasy scientist. Add one more thing to my list of 'Reasons to Hate Hojo'.

Trying to lighten the mood, I continued, "Well, thank you for comparing me to a seizing rat."

"You did kinda look like one," Zack said. Suddenly popping up as if from nowhere and scaring the shit out of me.

"D'ah!" I yelped. "Where'd you come from?"

"The same place you came from," he replied as he took the Phoenix Materia Sephiroth was handing him. I seethed silently as he continued, "I'm going into the mountains for a bit. I'll be back later."

Sephiroth opened his mouth to object, but Zack waved his hand at him dismissively, "Yeah, yeah. Get enough rest. You're not waking me up in the morning. Saan told me."

Zack flashed me an 'I'm sorry' look before pocketing the Materia and walking away from us. Sephiroth apparently wasn't finished with him, though.

"Zack," he called out. Zack stopped and looked back at him. Sephiroth went on, "I've hired a guide to the Mako Reactor. I've heard she's young. I hope we can rely on her…"

Zack nodded and actually managed to walk away that time. I watched him as he turned and went down the stairs. I was wondering how Sephiroth managed to sneak out of the Inn and hire a guide while Zack and I had either been inside the Inn with him or directly outside. For a second, the image of Sephiroth popping open the window, shimming down the side of the building, zipping to the guide, then zipping to the building only shimmy up it and close the window—all while going about as fast as Flash Gordon—ran through my mind. The next second it was replaced by the cowgirl.

"Was it that girl from before?" I asked.

"Yes."

I prayed that she would wear something more appropriate the next go around.

Logging that thought away, I looked at Sephiroth, "Are you going to use your blankets?"

"Why?" He asked, looking at me in confusion.

"Because there's three beds and five of us. I'm sure that when Jerry wakes up, he'll switch with Cloud so there's no problem there. I, however, am a girl and kinda can't bunk with you guys without it being awkward. And I'm sure you don't want to bunk with anyone. _And_ if Zack bunked with anyone, he'd probably cuddle them or kick them out of the bed or something. _So_, I am volunteering for the floor. I've slept on it before, it won't kill me. However, something soft on the hard wood floor would be appreciated. You are wearing leather. Leather is warm. You probably have no need for you blankets, that being the case and I would like to use them."

Sephiroth stared at me, blinked, and then replied, "In that case, no. I don't need them."

"Thank you," I said as I grinned at him.

Walking into the bedroom, I figured Sephiroth would probably choose the bed closest to the door, and went to it. I grabbed its sheets, and with a few good tugs, ripped them off. Walking to the center of the room, I spread the blankets out on the floor. I didn't really need a pillow, so I didn't bother stealing Sephiroth's. Plus, I'd already taken his blankets, why do him one more injustice?

Though it was still evening, I found it best to settle in for the night. We would be leaving for the Reactor at the crack of dawn. It was best if I could get as much sleep as I could because without a coffee machine I wasn't exactly sure how fast I would wake up, or how cranky I would be. Plus, usually when I slept in new places, I magically became a light sleeper. Going to bed earlier allowed me time to wake up randomly during the middle of the night, get back to sleep, and still have my average amount of hours.

—**FFVII—**

The next morning I awoke to Jerry shaking my shoulder. I groaned and curled in on myself. During the night I had, in fact, woken up—when Jerry and Cloud switched shifts. After that, I spent minutes thinking about how annoyingly hard the wood floors were, even beneath blankets; how it was eerily quiet without the sound of my fan; and if it would be worth it to get up and turn Zack over to stop his soft snores. I wasn't sure how long I'd stayed in limbo between the dream world and the real world, but eventually I drifted back off to sleep. I _had_ to have gone back to sleep or Jerry wouldn't have been shaking my shoulder to wake me.

"Saan," he said lightly. "Sephiroth and the others have already left. We're going to be late."

I growled. Well, Sephiroth _had_ said he wasn't going to wake us up. Sighing heavily, I sat up, shaking my hands through my hair to make sure that it wasn't a complete mess and then stood up. I rolled up the blankets into a little ball of a mess and tossed them towards the first bed. Most of the wad landed on its target, but a bit came undone and rolled onto the floor.

I huffed, "I tried."

Jerry handed me my staff.

"Thank you."

Jerry nodded. We jogged out of the room and down the stairs. I was slower descending them than Jerry was because I didn't want to slip and break my neck. I would never trust myself on stairs. Once outside, Jerry led me past the water tower and buildings, up a stone flight of steps, and down a left fork in the road. Our destination was a mansion in the distance, it seemed.

I could tell the place had been abandoned from the ivy and broken shingles, but other than that, it wasn't that bad of a house. It was three stories tall with a stone pathway leading from the door to an iron gate. The iron fence encircled the entire property, keeping out people and animals alike. Why the mansion was built so far from the rest of the buildings was beyond me. One couldn't even make out the village from it due to the mountainous area; not much of a view. Maybe that was why it had been abandoned.

In front of the mansion's gate stood Zack, Sephiroth, Cloud, the cowgirl, and two other men. Just as we were about to run up to Sephiroth, I caught sight of the camera in one of the stranger's hands. I quickly slammed on the brakes, grabbing Jerry by his giant turtleneck to keep him from running into the shot. The camera flashed; the picture was taken.

Sephiroth quickly ran away and huddled by Cloud near the exit of Nibelheim. I smirked at him. I, too, had issues having my picture taken. I wasn't entirely sure why, but anytime someone shoved a camera in my face, my first instinct was to throttle the device and break it into thousands of little pieces. That reason was the reason I had stopped when I did; I had stopped Jerry simply because it would have been rude to run out in front the man. Personally, I had no qualms about being rude over certain things.

"Great," The man exclaimed excitedly, "thank you! I'll give you each a copy once I get it developed!"

I frowned at him and then walked towards the others, addressing the cowgirl, "So you _are_ the guide."

She smiled a little, "That's right. Tifa, at your service!"

"You're late," Sephiroth said, causing me to look at him. He didn't really appear to be annoyed, though. At me, anyway.

"And I wonder whose fault that is?" I asked, smiling sweetly. "Shall we be going?"

Tifa turned and went to take the lead, "All right, then. Follow me! The paths can be a little narrow in some places and there are monsters…but I guess that's no problem for you guys."

I didn't suspect the narrow paths to cause me any problems—after all, I was a skinny bitch—but I wasn't a big fan of heights. Call me hypocritical considering I was a fighter pilot, but being in a plane and being in a skyscraper always felt different to me. When I was in a plane, I felt as if I wasn't connected to the ground, because I kind of, you know, wasn't. But when in a building, or on a mountain in this case, I felt I was connected to the ground; and because I was connected to the ground, I could fall to it. Logically, it made no sense whatsoever, but fears aren't often very logical.

As Tifa led us through the Nibel Mountains, the terrain got extremely rocky. Unlike with Modeoheim, the ground wasn't covered with snow, even though the air around us was cool. The dark rocks surround us I found more eerie and foreboding than Modeo's—especially since the mountain formations resembled black, evil crowns.

Almost the entire time we trekked onward, Zack was complaining to Tifa about how dangerous it was for her to be accompanying us. And, just like the little spit fire she was, she constantly reminded him that she could take care of herself. She _was_ learning how to fight, and she knew the mountains better than anyone. So there. I wanted to strangle something because of their pointless bickering. No-coffee Saan plus Hungry Saan plus Tired Saan equaled Very Cranky Saan. Lord forbid anyone try to ask me something when I was very cranky…he/she might not leave unscathed and definitely wouldn't have an answer.

So, when we ran into some monsters, for a brief second I was relieved that I could finally let off some steam. However, my small glimmer of hope quickly vanished when I recognized our enemies were those annoying needle-nosed birds that were immune to Thunder magic. In fact, Thunder magic only healed them. Huffing angrily, I crossed my arms and let Zack and Jerry take care of things. Sephiroth didn't participate in the battle. He probably thought that monsters of such a low level were beneath them; he'd be right. It didn't take long for the two youths to dispatch the birds and then we were off on our way again.

Eventually we came to a wooden bridge—the kind held up with old rope and silent prayers. I frowned at it. Crossing something so old and rickety was not on my list of things to do for the day. However, since Sephiroth had started making his merry little way across, I figured I was going to have to as well or get left behind. Oh, joy. Zack was second on the bridge, walking after Sephiroth without a care in the world. Tifa paused and turned to face us.

"It gets hard from here!" She shouted to us. "Follow me!"

"Oh-ho, yay," I mumbled sarcastically, trailing a few feet behind her. "Why did Shin-Ra have a sudden urge to build a Reactor in the middle of goddern nowhere?"

From the front, Sephiroth replied, "The Reactors are built wherever there's an ample supply of Mako. They don't choose the locations on a whim, Saan."

As I stepped onto the bridge I grumbled, "How can he _hear me_ from way up there?"

Jerry giggled behind me.

Sephiroth was already almost to the other side, Zack about halfway across, and Tifa following behind Zack at a brisk pace. I was a good clip away from Tifa at that point, Cloud directly behind me, Jerry a little ways behind him. Putting six full-grown people on a rickety bridge was a dumb idea. I realized this _after_ the ominous creaking noise. My breath caught as my brain jumped to worst-case scenario. I braced myself.

"Uh…the bridge!" Tifa shrieked in warning.

"Grab on!" I shouted.

With a loud crack, the bridge's left main rope snapped in two. My free hand immediately found purchase on the right rope. The boards creaked loudly as they violently tilted, sending everyone to their knees—save Sephiroth who actually fell on his ass. Zack was on his knees trying to reach for Tifa as she clutched desperately to one of the boards. My attention was quickly drawn away from them as I heard Jerry cry out. I snapped my head around to look over my right shoulder.

Cloud had a hold of the right main rope as well, having seen me dive for it, and was reaching out towards Jerry. Jerry had fallen to the ends of the boards and was holding on for dear life, his legs dangling helplessly above the mountain below. I called out to him desperately, but before I could do anything, I felt the rope in my hand jerk. Gasping, both Cloud and I snapped our heads up to look at the rope. Terror gripped me as I heard the rope finally snap. As it frayed, I lost my grip and screamed—my screams mixing in with those around me.

I prayed to be saved. As if in answer, my suit activated. Suddenly, everything went black and the horrible ringing returned in my ears. The noise blocked out all my other senses and I lost track of time. I didn't feel myself hit the ground, or anything else for that matter. The noise aggravated me to no end. I tried to make it go away. It got quieter as I concentrated on banishing it, but it still remained.

To my surprise, I realized there was whispering in the noise. That upset me. That terrified me. It made no sense. And so I tried to make it go away even more, to make it shut up; I didn't like it and it had to stop.

My concentration was broken as I felt someone shaking me. Though it was muffled, I could hear them calling to me. But because of the incessant screaming in my ears, I couldn't do anything. Even though I couldn't hear myself, I growled, shaking my head violently trying to dislodge the helmet. It didn't work. The hands left my shoulder and the next thing I knew my vision was back and Cloud was standing over me as I knelt on my knees at the base of one of the mountain peaks. I blinked in confusion at him before my eyes fell to my helmet in his hands. I glared at it.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

I grunted as I pushed myself off the ground. Nothing was broken, thank goodness. I wasn't even in any pain.

"Fine," I mumbled and then took my helmet from him, "How'd you know it was giving me problems."

"I didn't," he replied. "Not really. When you growled and shook your head I remember what happened yesterday and…I thought it might have been bothering you again."

I frowned at him, "Well, you thought correctly. I don't know _why_ the damn thing is acting up, but it's really starting to piss me off."

Turning away from the boy, I walked towards my staff. It was lying on the ground a few feet from where I'd fallen. I picked it up and was grateful that I hadn't lost it.

"Mm…Can't you get someone to fix it?" Cloud asked.

Sephiroth came around the corner behind Cloud. I made brief eye contact with him before he looked down at my suit. He was probably wondering why I was wearing it again. Surely he would figure out that the suit of armor would help protect me when crashing to the ground. He walked towards us.

"If only it were that simple," I mumbled.

"Where are Zack and the others?" Sephiroth asked.

I shrugged, "Haven't seen them. I just woke up."

"I haven't seen them either, Sir," Cloud replied. "They might have fallen on the other side."

Sephiroth nodded in understanding and walked past me on the path we were on, "Follow me."

He continued up the path as we followed his command. I was amazed that we had fallen from such a great height and didn't have any injuries to show for it. I didn't doubt my suit's ability to protect me, nor Sephiroth's god-like body, but Cloud's? I would have suspected _something_ of his would have been broken. As I was pondering the odds of everyone walking away without a scratch, we rounded the corner and beheld Zack and Tifa. Zack seemed perfectly fine—not unexpected from a SOLDIER. Tifa had a few scratches and bruises here and there, but nothing too serious.

The girl gave me a strange look, almost surprised. It wasn't until then that I realized I hadn't deactivated my suit. I mentally cursed myself for my slip-up. But, with as little as Tifa knew about SOLDIER, hopefully it wouldn't be too much of a problem. As Sephiroth, Cloud, and I stopped beside the others, I realized that Jerry wasn't with them. I instantly started to worry.

"Everyone seems to be all right. Can we get back to where we were?"

I blinked in confusion and disbelief and stared at him. Everyone was all right? No they weren't! Jerry was missing, and he was a part of 'everyone.' So, obviously, _everyone_ was not all right.

"These caves are intertwined, just like an ant farm…" Tifa replied. She frowned, "Oh, and Sephiroth…There seems to be one person missing…"

"It may sound cold, but we've got no time to search for him. We can't go back now, so we must go on. We'll travel together from here."

My jaw dropped.

Zack, seeing my expression, cautioned, "Uh, Sephiroth…"

"Fuck you, then!" I shouted at the silver-haired General.

I barely caught Sephiroth's look of surprise as I turned and took off, running towards the way we came. How dare he be so insensitive! I didn't care what he said; I wasn't originally part of the mission so it wouldn't hurt if I went to find Jerry. I was terrified that something ill had befallen the kid. Once again, my mind jumped to the worst-case scenario.

As I ran, I kept my glance trained in front of me and the side of the mountain. I kept calling out Jerry's name, but I never got an answer. It wasn't long before I had completely gone past where Cloud and I had fallen. Not a good sign.

"Jerry!" I cried out, looking around frantically. Louder I screamed, "Jerry!"

The cry of a bird made me look up. My blood froze in my veins as I saw what the two monsters were flapping around near a small landing. Jerry's bleeding hand was lying limply over the edge. A sharp wave of anger coursed through me. Pissed at the birds for trying to scavenge off my friend, I forcefully threw my helmet at one of them. It missed but still managed to spook the creature. With a screech of surprise the monster backed off. The last one remained, however. I hissed through closed teeth, raised my staff over my shoulder like a javelin, and with a short prayer that I wouldn't hit Jerry, I threw it as hard as I could. The staff flew through the air and stabbed into the bird's back and wing. It cried out as it was knocked out of sight.

My anger subsided a little and I realized, that to get to Jerry, I'd have to climb the craggily rock face. My memory flashed to the time I was in Modeoheim and Ronnie's comment about using my claws to climb the mountain. Summoning them, I took a running leap at the wall. I hit forcefully, grunting, but my claws managed to sink in. Another squawk made me look up. The first bird had returned. With a cry of rage and frustration, I summoned all my strength and used the adrenaline to practically run up the mountain—mentally telling my hands to move one in the front of the other and don't stop.

Reaching the landing Jerry was on, my right foot briefly made contact with the solid rock before I catapulted myself over Jerry's body, lest I run over him. I hit the ground on my arms and rolled to avoid injuring myself. Jumping up, I spun around to glare at the bird monster. It tried to attack me by diving at me. I reached out with my left hand, gripped it around its face, and swung it hard into the rock wall behind me. It cried out for a split second before I felt its neck break. Letting go of it, the creature fell to the ground. I glared at it as it spasmed, opening its mouth in a sad attempt to gasp for air.

"You deserve it," I hissed.

Ignoring my helmet, which was also lying on the landing near the edge, and the dead bird my staff was sticking out of, I spun around and almost froze when I saw Jerry lying there on his back. I stumbled and fell down beside him on my knees.

"No, no, no…" I mumbled, shaking my head repeatedly.

Looking him up and down, I could see that he was covered in scratches and cuts from the fall. His leg was twisted at an odd angle, obviously broken. But what bothered me the most was the giant pool of blood beneath his head that spread out to his shoulders and towards the edge of the landing. I didn't have to check; I knew he was dead.

I whined, "No…Jerry…"

Weakly, I reached out to his face with my right hand, my hand shaking with emotion. I blinked was the Materia on the back of my hand glinted in the sunlight. Because I was fast approaching my way into shock, it took me a few seconds of staring at the rock before what it was finally registered. I had Life! Maybe, just maybe, it would work.

Breaking out of my trance with a newfound sense of determination, I gripped Jerry's helmet with both hands—resisting the urge to rip it violently from his head—and slowly pulled it off. I winced when I saw the gaping hole in the back of it. It must have been speared by a sharp rock when Jerry fell. Not wanting to think about that, I flung the piece of metal aside and looked down at the kid. I was wracked with another wave of guilt as I finally got to see his face.

I had known that he was about the same age as Zack, but that fact really showed on his face. His hair had a little curl to it and was strikingly orange. Blood had seeped its way out of his mouth and nose. Mercifully, his eyes were closed. I wouldn't have been able to take it if his eyes had been opened.

Unable to suppress my shudder, I recalled my claws and gently slipped my right hand under Jerry's head. I flinched when I felt the soft spot in his skull that his blood had leaked out of. Closing my eyes, I willed the spell to activate. I felt my hand get warm and opened my eyes.

"Come back, Jerry," I said gently.

The spell glowed with an intense greenish-white light as I felt it repairing the damage caused to Jerry's skull and brain. His eyes fluttered behind his eyelids a little as he took a shuddering breath—as if he had merely come out of the water. Jerry's body twitched for a brief second before becoming still again. The light of the spell faded. I could feel that the hole in his head had healed completely, but the rest of him hadn't.

As gently as before, I laid his head back down on the ground. I didn't have time to worry if blood got in his hair or not. Pushing myself off the ground, I walked over to my staff and ripped it from the bird's body. I walked back to Jerry, knelt beside him, and placed the staff's ankh decoration over his chest, casting Cura.

The spell glowed a brighter green than it should have, and I realized that the spell being cast was actually Curaga. I was thankful, though, and watched as the spell knitted together all Jerry's cuts and the break in his leg repair itself. The sound it made was disgusting. I cringed when Jerry grunted in momentary pain. When the spell was finished, I put my staff down and off to the side, staring at the boy.

I was vaguely aware that my Restore Materia was reproducing another it its kind—green light swirling from the orb that then twisted and turned in on itself, eventually forming an identical green orb. The new Materia dropped to the ground and rolled a little before friction stopped it.

"Jerry?" I asked hesitantly.

The boy's face twitched before he moaned a quiet, "Ow…"

Hearing him speak broke all my walls and barriers, and with a rush of relief, I scooped him up and held onto him tightly. For once in my life, I let my tears fall willingly. I continued to hold him as he slowly regained his bearings. He coughed a little, causing me to ease up on my grip; but I was afraid to let go completely.

"Well…" He breathed. "Guess you were right about the helmet."

I chuckled, causing more tears to fall, "You idiot."

I buried my face in his shoulder for a moment, trying to pull myself back together. It would be difficult to get through the mountain as a basket case. Finally, with a sniffle, I pulled back and looked at him as my hands rested on his shoulders. He was watching me through half-lidded eyes. It was obvious he was exhausted. Coming back from the dead and suffering from blood loss probably did that to people. I was somewhat shocked to see that his eyes were almost as orange as his hair.

"Welp," I spoke, clearing my throat, "let's head back now, shall we?"

I stood up. Jerry remained seated, looking around and taking in his surroundings. He seemed a bit disoriented and confused.

"What about the Reactor?" He asked.

I frowned a little, "Jerry, that damn Reactor is the last thing on my mind. It can rot, blow up, I don't give a flying fuck. The only thing that concerns me now is getting you off this mountain and back to the Inn."

He hummed an affirmative, sounding a bit like a kid who'd just woken up. Leaning over a little, he looked over the edge of the cliff we were perched on. Then he looked back up at me.

"How're we getting down?"

"…that is a very good question."

I knew that Jerry was probably too weak to climb down on his own. So, I came up with a plan. I let him hold onto my arms as I slowly lowered him down from the ledge. When he'd settled himself against the wall, he nodded to me, and I let him go. He slid down the wall, scraping his hands against small pebbles and rocks, but other than that he made it down in once piece. Once his feet hit the ground, his knees buckled and he fell backwards onto his butt.

I grabbed my helmet, placing the new Restore Materia inside it, and tossed it down to him. He caught it effortlessly even though he remained seated. Next was my staff. Aiming for the ground, I threw it like a javelin once again, making sure to put plenty of distance between it and Jerry. With all our items finally off the little cliff, I proceeded to get myself down. Just like I had down with Jerry, I swung my legs over the side, steadied myself, and slid down. Because I was still wearing my suit, my hands were saved from the small scratches Jerry's received.

I landed on my feet, crouching to lessen the force of the impact. Standing up, I walked the few steps needed to get to Jerry and bent down to pick him up. He put his arm around my shoulder while I grabbed a hold of his belt. The kid was heavier than me—no surprise there—but thankfully he was able to stand pretty well on his own; he just wobbled a bit. He volunteered to hold on to my helmet and staff as I led us through the mountains back to town. Only through sheer luck was I able to find our way back to Nibelheim.

When we got back to the Inn, the Innkeeper was shocked to see Jerry in the shape he was in. Blood had dried in the kid's orange hair giving off an eerie effect, and his clothes were torn and bloody in some parts.

"There was an accident in the mountain—" I started before I was cut off by the woman's gasp.

"Is Tifa okay?" She asked, ignoring the man attached to my side.

I narrowed my eyes at her, "Tifa is just fine."

"Oh, thank—"

"Does your husband have any extra clothes my friend here can wear?" I snapped.

"Uh…" She replied hesitantly. As if she didn't want to lend her husband's clothes to a bloody man.

"I don't think you want his blood prints all over the place," I deadpanned.

"Let me go check," she replied quickly, scampering off into the back.

Shifting Jerry's weight, I started to escort him upstairs to the bathroom, "We need to get you cleaned up."

"I'm fine, really," he muttered.

"You're bloody and your clothes have tears all through them. You can't stay like that. I don't know if you've noticed it or not, but the back of you head's caked with dried blood.

The boy blushed in embarrassment, "I can clean up by myself."

I paused and blinked, "Well, I sure hope so. _I_ don't want to have to clean you."

Jerry retaliated against my joking by kicking at me. I tried to dodge his foot and because I did so I wound up tripping on the stairs. I stumbled which caused him to stumble and we both almost face-planted the ground. Managing to catch myself and Jerry, I stood back up, huffed, and stared at him.

"Can you wait until _after_ we get off the stairs to try and retaliate? Was falling to your death once today enough for you or do you want to have another go?" I asked.

He blushed again. Luckily we made it to the top of the stairs without further altercation. I let go of Jerry and watched with caution as he stood on his own. He was all right for a second or two, swayed a bit, caught himself, and then smiled weakly. I took my helmet and staff from him. Knowing that the Innkeeper would be bringing clothes up for Jerry, I placed my helmet on one of the prongs on my staff so that I could have a free hand. The Restore Materia fell out—I'd forgotten it was in there—but I managed to catch it before it hit the ground.

I frowned at the boy, "You _are _going to be able to clean yourself up, right? You look a tad wobbly."

"I'm fine, Saan," he replied.

My attention was drawn away from Jerry and to the woman Innkeeper as she made her way up the stairs, clothes folded neatly in her hands. I noticed that the shirt was a black button-up and the pants were plain, worn, denim jeans. Suddenly, Jerry whispered.

"Sorry…"

"For what?" I asked, taking the clothes from the woman. I bowed a little to her, "Thank you."

"For…" Jerry trailed off and took the clothes I offered him. He was frowning, "For putting you through that."

What little I'd repaired of my walls back on the mountain nearly tumbled down again, "Yeah, well… Just don't do it again." I nodded towards the bathroom behind him, "Get cleaned up."

Jerry nodded and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

"Is he gonna be all right?" The Innkeeper asked beside me.

"Hopefully," I replied. "Physically, he should be fine."

The woman shifted uncomfortably, "If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

I looked down at her, "…the bridge broke."

She frowned in shame, "We've known for a while now about how weak that thing was getting. But, since no one really travels through the mountains that much anymore, we never got around to fixing it." She bowed deeply, "I'm sorry."

I cringed, frowning, "Please don't do that."

She stood back up, "If you'll excuse me."

I watched her walk down the stairs and disappear around the corner. The water to the shower finally kicked on. I left Jerry and went back into the bedroom, placing my staff next to the window. For a moment, I stared at the helmet, wondering what could be wrong with it and why it was acting up. What was the whispering I had heard? I knew that, while the helmet continued to act up, I shouldn't try and wear the suit. But, that would cause an inconvenience in the event that I needed it. I already knew that if I activated the suit and tried to take off my helmet…I might not be able to. I had become a little dependent on the suit, and I was worried that if I couldn't figure something out, I wasn't going to be able to use it anymore; I wouldn't have its protection.

Sitting down on the closest bed, I let thoughts run through my mind. When the suit activated, it would cover me in less than a second's time. The helmet was not connected to the suit physically, but it still operated by the same command—thus, it was possible that the helmet and suit were, in fact, two separate contraptions and simply stuck inside the same device. My claws were attached to my body suit, but they did not appear at the same time as the suit and helmet. So, a separate command controlled the claws.

Thinking about different commands gave me the idea of trying to deactivate the helmet—and only the helmet. I brought my eyes up from the floor to stare at the metal dog head and focused my thoughts on deactivating it. Nothing happened. Determined not to give up, I walked over to it and grabbed one of its ears, willing it to vanish. Nothing happened. Frowning in aggravation, I came to the conclusion that either the helmet had to be on my head for the deactivation to work, or it wouldn't work at all.

I knew that if the helmet were to be placed upon my head, I might become immobile again; but, if I didn't try out all the possibilities, I might not have been able to use the suit ever again. Sighing, I pulled the helmet off the prong, took a deep breath, and slammed it on my head. Immediately the ringing in my ears returned. Through the pain, I forced my eyes open and saw that the visor still worked—so there was no problem there. It was just the infernal noise. I tried my best to ignore the incessant whine and focused once again on deactivating the helmet. A flash of an image hit my head like a brick, causing me to gasp and grab my head. Just as I did, the helmet retracted back into the armlet as the suit remained wrapped around me.

I growled, rubbing my temples violently with the heel of my palms.

"Rah!" I cried out in frustration.

Huffing, I dropped my arms. My trick had worked. So far, anyway. Looking down at my suit I willed it away. It deactivated. I willed it, and only it, back. It reactivated without the helmet. I grinned, congratulating myself over figuring out how to make the suit work. Thinking that there wasn't going to be any more need of the suit, I deactivated it for the final time and walked to the window. Looking out, I wondered if Zack and the others had made it to the Reactor or not.

As I was waiting for the others to arrive, Jerry came into the room after his shower. Even though the clothes seemed a little big on him, he didn't look all that bad in them—the black shirt matched wonderfully with his hair. He told me that the Innkeeper said that his SOLDIER uniform was not worth saving and that he could keep the clothes he was wearing. After that, he asked about his sword. I replied that I hadn't seen it anywhere near him when I'd found him and that it was probably still on the mountain. The two of us waited for Sephiroth and the others while talking about random things. As I listened to Jerry speak, I was shaken by the fact that, if I hadn't pressed Sephiroth to let me join the mission, the boy could very well be dead.

I spaced out during the conversation for a bit. Realizing I'd ignored half of what Jerry said, I almost went cross-eyed trying to refocus my eyes. I looked back at him with the intent of fibbing my way into making him believe I was listening, and then I turned to look out the window I was leaning against. I jolted upright when I saw Zack trying to walk an injured Cloud into the Inn. Swearing, I bolted for the open door. Jerry sputtered behind me in confusion before clumsily getting out of his chair and following after me. I rushed down the stairs, slipping on the bottom two steps, and caught myself by death-gripping the railing. Straightening back up, I tried to play off my clumsiness as if I'd meant to nearly break my neck.

"What happened?" I asked frantically.

"Have you seen Sephiroth?" Zack asked in a similar, yet calmer, concerned voice.

"What do you mean have I seen Sephiroth? What happened?" I asked again, looking worriedly at Cloud. I could feel Jerry standing behind me.

"I'll tell you later. Have—"

I shook my head, wishing Zack would hurry in his explanation, "No, I haven't seen Sephiroth. Why would I? I thought he was with you."

Zack sighed and looked at the Innkeeper. He looked back at me, "Help me get him up to the room."

Understanding that Zack didn't want to say anything in front of the Innkeeper, I moved aside as Jerry went to help Zack with Cloud. I followed after them as they brought Cloud to the bedroom. They gently placed Cloud down on the bed farthest from the door. I silently mused that _everyone_ favored the third bed as Cloud took off his helmet for the first time since we arrived in Nibelheim. I could tell the boy was tired—and so could Zack.

"Get some rest," Zack said.

Cloud nodded weakly before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and lying down. Zack gave me a meaningful look, silently commanding me to follow him, before walking past me and out of the room. I began to follow. I heard Jerry get up to follow after me and turned around, holding up my hand. I shook my head no. He pouted at me but obeyed and went back to his previous chair.

Once outside the room, I asked again, "What happened?"

Zack hesitated before replying, "Genesis attacked us."

"What?" I asked blankly.

"After you left to go find your friend—"

"Jerry."

"—_Jerry_, Tifa led us through the mountains to the Reactor. …There's a room inside it that has Jenova's name written above it."

Like a dam bursting, everything flowed through my mind at once and I realized what was happening. Sephiroth thought his mother was Jenova and it was highly probable that Hojo was the one who had told him that. Hojo was the one that had said I should accompany Sephiroth to the reactor. Hojo was the one that mentioned the cells in my suit. My suit hadn't started acting up until after we approached Nibelheim, where Jenova was stored. That _couldn't _have been a coincidence, and neither was Genesis' appearance.

"He's after Jenova…" I said quietly.

Zack nodded gravely, "Yeah. He…Genesis told Sephiroth that he was part of the Jenova Project. Just like Angeal and Genesis, Sephiroth has Jenova cells inside him—but it's not the same. Genesis said that Sephiroth won't degrade because he can't make copies of himself, however _that_ works." Zack hesitated again, "He called Sephiroth the perfect monster. But, we're _not_—"

"Monsters, I know. But does _Sephiroth_ know that? His beliefs have been shaken enough as it is," I said, thinking about how what Genesis said might just push him over the edge. "We have to find Sephiroth, and when we do, we can't leave him alone by himself."

"Tifa's already asking around," Zack replied. "You don't think he'll try something, do you?"

I gave him a serious stare, "I pray to God for our sakes that he doesn't."

Zack sighed and rubbed the back of his head, "Man, this is messed up."

I went silent as I digested the facts that had unceremoniously been dropped into my lap. After a few seconds of tense silence, Zack spoke again.

"Well, at least your friend was all right."

I couldn't help the humorless bark of a laugh that escaped my throat, "He was dead."

Zack flinched, "Oh…"

I went to walk back into the room but Zack's voice stopped me again.

"Look. About what Sephiroth said earlier…"

I sighed and looked over my shoulder, "I understand why he told us to leave Jerry behind; and considering who Sephiroth is, I can't hold it against him. Just…let me have my anger for one day, Zack."

The boy frowned but nodded anyway.

Cloud wound up sleeping until it was almost night. When he woke up, Jerry and I were sitting on Sephiroth's bed—me at the head and Jerry at the foot—while Zack was sitting on his own bed, staring down at Cloud. Cloud's face twitched a little as he sat up. Realizing that everyone on the room was staring at him, he tried to hide his head between his arms as they rested on his knees.

"Tifa's safe, don't worry," Zack said.

"If only I were SOLDIER…" Cloud muttered.

Zack and I remained silent. Cloud looked at Zack, sensing something was wrong.

"Zack?" He asked.

"SOLDIER is like a den of monsters. Don't go inside," Zack replied.

I smiled in disgust. What an appropriate way to put it. Cloud shifted his position to better look at Zack.

"What happened?" He asked.

Zack was silent for a moment before shaking his head, "I don't know, man." He leaned back, propping himself up on his elbow, "I thought I knew, but…"

Laying down, the kid sighed in annoyance. The room was filled with a random silence before he continued again.

"By the way, do you know Tifa?"

The question seemed random to me. Curious, I slightly raised my eyebrows and cast a sideways glance at Cloud. The blond shifted away awkwardly—quickly.

"Sort of," he mumbled, hiding his head again.

I smiled despite myself. How do you _sort of _know someone, Cloud?

"Talked to her?" Zack asked.

"No."

Zack propped himself back up on his elbow, "I'm sensing some issues here…shouldn't you do something?"

Cloud kept avoiding Zack's gaze and questions. I bit my cheeks, trying and failing to keep myself from smiling. Apparently, Cloud was having girl problems. How cute. Looking up from the bed I noticed Jerry frowning at me. I looked at him innocently, mouthing, 'What?' Sure, teenage boys wouldn't find Cloud's predicament very amusing…but I wasn't a teenage boy.

"I'm one to talk," Zack said, forcing me to break my thoughts. He got up from the bed and slowly walked towards the Buster Sword, "I'm with SOLDIER, so…fighting's all I do. Sorting things out is someone else's job." He was getting angry, "What's going on? Who's the enemy?" Grabbing the Buster Sword, he held it over his head as if to slice through the table, "It makes no difference to me!"

I frowned in apprehension. Yes, we were the dogs of the military, but…rather that than something else. Everything had been so much simpler when Lazard had been Director. It was a shame no one had heard from him since he disappeared. But, considering how Shin-Ra treated traitors, I figured it was best if he stayed in hiding. My eyes flickered to Jerry as he bowed his head in shame. Zack's words upset him more than they did me; for what reason, I didn't know.

Zack caught himself before he killed the poor, defenseless table and placed his sword to his head, closing his eyes to calm himself down. Another awkward silence consumed the room. The only one of us that wasn't a little bothered by Zack's behavior was Cloud.

"Hey, Zack?" He asked. "You know, I've never seen you use that."

The statement seemed to catch Zack off-guard. He lowered the Buster Sword. I could tell by the look on his face that he was recalling old memories. I smiled as I realized Zack was finding himself again.

"This is a symbol of my dreams and honor," Zack said. He held it up, pointing it at the window. "No. It's more… That's right… I had almost forgotten. Thank you, Cloud."

Jerry's and Cloud's confused faces did not escape me.

"Huh?" Cloud asked, sitting up a little.

Zack put his sword back against the table, "Right!"

He walked back to his bed and started doing squats—randomly. I had half a mind to make a snide comment about his habit, but before I could open my mouth, he'd stopped.

"I'm gonna crash. Night!" He exclaimed before plopping down on the bed.

Cloud looked around like, 'Uh, what?' When he looked at me, I just shrugged and shook my head. Sometimes you just couldn't explain Zack.

That night I wound up sleeping on the floor again. No one bothered to keep watch. Amazingly, I managed to sleep throughout the night. I woke up to Zack removing the Buster Sword from its resting place on the table. Looking around sleepily I noticed Cloud was also gone, but Jerry was still asleep in Sephiroth's bed. Considering how much Cloud slept the day before, I didn't doubt that he'd woken up pretty early. I was, however, shocked that he was able to tip-toe his way past me without waking me up.

Zack placed his sword on his back, looked down, and noticed I was staring at him.

"Did I wake you?" he whispered.

"Nope, I'm sound asleep," I whispered and then pushed myself off the floor, "Yes, Zack, you woke me."

"Do you always have a sarcastic answer to _everything_?"

I stretched, "I try."

He smiled and shook his head, "I'm going to look for Sephiroth."

"Hold on. I'll come with you," I replied and walked to my staff.

"You sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked, grabbing the weapon and putting it on my shoulder.

He shrugged, "No reason, I guess."

Zack and I went to leave the Inn. But, before we could get out of the building, Tifa came busting through the door like a bat outta hell. She was a little out of breath, so I assumed she had run the entire way—from where I didn't know. She looked at us both briefly and then walked up to Zack.

"Sephiroth is apparently at Shin-Ra Mansion," she informed.

"That big house?" he asked.

She looked away, "Yes. Shin-Ra has owned it for a long time."

As she ran out of the Inn, I frowned. I remembered what Hojo said about archives of the Ancients being in Nibelheim. When I thought about it, everyone else considered Jenova and Ancient… And if Sephiroth read those documents… I got uncomfortable again.

Zack put his hand to his mouth in thought, "What would he be doing there?"

Hopefully, not what I think he's doing, I thought.

"I'm not sure."

Zack dropped his arms, "Well, then, let's see what he's up to."

We exited the building. Once outside, we walked towards the stairs that would take us out of Nibelheim and to the mansion. When we passed the water tower, Zack's phone went off. He stopped, pulled it out of his pocket, and looked at it. He grinned a little as he flipped it open and put hit to his ear.

In a surprised, yet happy, voice he asked, "Aerith?"

I rolled my eyes and stared at him.

"Yeah…" he trailed off.

He looked at me briefly, held up a finger to tell me to wait, and skittered back towards the water tower. I knew that the boy had a little crush on Aerith; but, I also knew that then was not the best time to be making little love calls either. I waited for Zack to finish his little talk, rocking back and forth on my feet. It wasn't long before he returned. He rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry about that," he said.

I hummed an affirmation and we began our little trek again. Once again, before we could reach our destination, we were interrupted—this time by Cloud. He was at the outskirts of the village, near the stairs, and when he heard us approach, he turned to face us before walking to greet us.

"Shin-Ra Mansion is up the stairs straight ahead, then to the left. Come with me!" He exclaimed before running back to aforementioned stairs.

I frowned as Zack ran after him, wondering why Cloud felt the need to state the obvious. Maybe some people didn't know that giant houses constituted as mansions. I ran after the boys and up the stairs, down the path on the left to the mansion. As we approached the building, I could see Zangan, Tifa, the camera guy, and another man all standing in front of the gates. They watched with mixed expressions on their faces as Zack, Cloud, and I walked through the gates.

Once inside, I marveled at the chandeliers and staircases. I briefly wondered where my appreciation for home décor had come from, but then quickly attributed it to building hundreds of houses on _The Sims 2_. Surely I couldn't _actually_ like home furnishings and stuff without some influence. It wasn't like I watched HGTV religiously or something. It was a shame that such a pretty house belonged to such a corrupt company like Shin-Ra.

Cloud led us to the stairs, "Sephiroth apparently went to the second floor room on the right."

I wondered who the hell was stalking Sephiroth to see what room he went in, but decided I'd rather not know. I wouldn't doubt it if it was the creepy, stalker cameraman outside. Plus, I didn't really care, I just wanted to get to Sephiroth and make sure he was all right.

I almost scoffed at myself aloud. Of course he wasn't all right! He had been called a monster by someone who was _supposed_ to have been his friend, told his _mother_ was a monster, and was most likely reading reports of bullshit—because nothing in Shin-Ra was ever the truth.

After stepping off the staircases, Cloud led us to the right. After another right we came to a room with a bookshelf that was full of books. I didn't catch what any of them were about before Cloud opened the door on the left and led us inside a bedroom.

"Something's wrong with Sephiroth," He said. "The door to the underground passage was unlocked and I think he went in, but…"

The bedroom itself wasn't entirely fancy. The sheets on the bed were an eyesore, personally. More bookshelves lined the walls and books were strewn everywhere. In the wall was a so-totally-obvious secret door. Zack thanked the blond, who nodded, and he and I walked to the door. Zack briefly scanned the wall, found the brick that operated it, and pushed. The door slid open relatively fast for something that looked so old.

Zack started to descend the old, rickety stairs that awaited us. I took one step, looked down, saw there was no hand rail, and quickly slammed myself against the wall. Zack, who was already halfway down, stopped and looked at me when he realized I wasn't right behind him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I started to inch my way down the wall, "I remember the last old, wooden, rickety thing I crossed, that's what."

He smirked, "You don't have nearly as far to fall this time."

I narrowed my eyes at him as he turned and continued down the stairs, but I kept inching my way down as fast as a person could sidle. Zack reached the bottom long before I did, but was kind enough to wait on me. Once I was close enough to the bottom I leapt the rest of the way down. Having successfully made it down the stairs, I put my hands on my hips in a superhero pose. Zack raised an eyebrow in amusement before turning and walking down the underground passage.

I was more than a little creeped out that there was such a place under the mansion, but then again, the mansion _was_ owned by Shin-Ra…which explained a lot. Bones were strewn along the ground and thick chains hung from the rocks that formed the ceiling. I felt as if I had walked straight into a B-rate horror flick.

As we walked down the long path, we passed a door on the left that had a few barrels beside it. My gaze lingered on the wooden door as I thought about what may lie inside. Shuddering, I faced the front and kept on. Considering what I'd seen so far, maybe it was a better idea not to explore the random room.

Zack and I shortly came to another door. The boy eased the door open, me following. I bumped into his back as he halted. Frowning, I rubbed my chest where I had collided with the Buster Sword. Leaning to the side to see around Zack, I stopped breathing for a moment. Sephiroth was pacing around the room with a book in his hand. He read aloud.

"…an organism that was apparently dead, was found in a 2000 year-old geological stratum. Professor Gast named the organism, Jenova… X year, X month, X day. Jenova confirmed to be an Ancient… X year, X month, X day. Jenova Project approved. The use of Mako Reactor 1 approved for use…" Sephiroth walked towards the inner room, away from the lab table. He stopped in the hallway and looked up at the ceiling, distraught. "My mother's name was Jenova… Jenova Project… Is this just a coincidence?" He looked at the floor, "Professor Gast…why didn't you tell me anything? …Why did you die?"

I frowned, wondering just who Professor Gast was. A long time ago, Lazard and Sephiroth had brought him up, but I'd never gotten the chance to ask anything about the man. I was also curious as to why Sephiroth seemed to speak of him so fondly, when he seemed to hate Hojo so much. My frown worsened when I realized what Sephiroth was reading was wrong about Jenova's origins.

Zack walked further into the room, "Sephiroth…"

Sephiroth was silent for a moment, not even bothering to look up from the floor.

In a voice that made him seem far away, he said, "Let me be alone."

Zack acted like he wanted to say something. Eventually, he gave up and sighed. He looked back at me and left the room, muttering, "Come on…" as he passed by me. I watched Zack leave before turning to face Sephiroth. The silver-haired man still hadn't budged an inch. I walked towards him, wanting to tell him that what he was reading was a lie. But, I stopped. I realized that he might not believe me. What he had in his hands was written down to be used as hardcore evidence that what Genesis said was true, to some extent. I had no evidenced at all to back up what _I_ claimed.

Of course, Genesis had been right when he called Jenova a monster; but the documents called her an ancient. I bit my lower lip as I struggled with myself. I found my mouth opening and closing many times, trying to say something. Eventually, I gave up and looked at the floor. Was it better for him to believe himself an Ancient, or a Monster? I honestly didn't know.

I looked up and spoke clearly, "Sephiroth."

"…"

I continued, "I'd follow you through anything; but how far is up to you."

He finally turned to look back at me. I could see the confusion swimming in his eyes. I held my gaze, a stern, serious expression on my face. I needed him to understand what I was saying, and to believe me. He held my gaze for a few seconds before turning back around and walking back towards the inner chamber.

I let the stare fall from my face and walked out of the room. As I was walking through the underground passage, I understood the full weight of my words. Sephiroth had already had two friends turn against him when they turned against Shin-Ra; I didn't want to be the third. If he went AWOL like Genesis, I _would_ go with him. Sephiroth had untold power, and though I couldn't stop him physically, perhaps if I stayed with him, I could rein him in just enough to keep him from harming those that didn't deserve justice. …Perhaps. I meant what I said by his choices influencing just how far down the rabbit hole I'd go.

**A/N: And now you know who Jerry was before he was Jerry. I felt sorry for the little Grunt in the original game and decided, "You know what...fuck you, Sephiroth." And so I put him in just to save him. He actually became a pretty decent character in my opinion. So now, when you play that game and get to that part, just know that that guy might have been Jerry. And that scene was very hard to write with 'My Hands' playing in the background ;-; -glares half-heartedly at her playlist-**

**Oh, and don't listen to Repo Man music while writing. Everyone starts singing in opera voices. x.x;**

**On to the next chapter!**

_**Edit: I love how my writing style changes from chapter to chapter.**_


	22. On the Seventh Day

**A/N: Risikaa and I had an interesting convo regarding the title of this chapter. Morgan Freeman: And on the Seventh Day. –nod- But that's not why I titled it that. I wasn't sure where to separate my chapters, since it's all one big event, but around the 15000 word mark I decided, "Heeey." That and I'm halfway through the Notepad document with the rough-draft. :D. Oh, and I dreamed about Kadaj, Rufus, and Cloud… Rufus mentioned something about fun and not having to pay bills and I was all, "I don't think Kadaj has to worry about paying bills, and what the fuck are you talking about?" And then my dog woke me up before I could find out… Poo.**

**Warnings: -still cowering-**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I do however own this plot, Saan, Ronnie, Jerry, and the hope and prayers that my great-grandfather doesn't have to go to the hospital because of the wasp that just stung him because I have no idea what insurance he has and I'm in silk pjs. **_**Yeeaah**_**.**

_**Edited on 3 November 2010. Still haven't done my Physics test. Fun fun.**_

I stepped outside of the Shin-Ra Mansion and found Zack still stuck there talking to the villagers. Cloud had remained inside the mansion, saying that he'd inform us of what was happening to Sephiroth and if he ever came out of the basement. If one could call that cave a basement. Zack seemed to be arguing with the people about something.

I walked up to them, "What's going on?"

"They—"

Zack was cut off by the man I didn't know, "You can't expect us to allow that man to stay in there, unattended, with the way he's acting! We don't trust you Shin-Ra lot as it is!"

"Hey!" Zack snapped.

Tifa whined a little, "Papa…"

I raised my hand to stop the argument from escalating, "No, I don't. And I'll stay here with him."

"Saan," Zack said, looking at me.

I gave him a meaningful look, "Zack. Regardless of what this man said, I had every intention of staying here anyway. I don't think Sephiroth should be alone right now, regardless if he requests otherwise. I'm going to get Jerry and I'll be right back."

Tifa's father all but glared at me, "Hold on a minute, Ma'am."

I shot him an equally dirty look and snapped, "What? You think I'm going to run away? To _where_? We're in the middle of fucking nowhere!" I took a deep breath to calm myself. "Look, I understand your concerns, but please try and understand where _we're_ coming from as well. All right?"

The man frowned at me but backed down.

"Are you sure?" Zack asked as we started to walk away from the mansion. "I can stay instead."

_And have you back down just as easily as before?_ I thought, _Uh-unh._

"No," I replied, "it's fine. I'll have Jerry keep me company. You should stay in town and make sure no monsters or Genesis clones show up."

Jokingly Zack said, "Oh, so _I'm_ the one left alone, then?"

I smirked, "You won't be alone; you'll have Cloud. I'll send him back once Jerry and I return to the Mansion. Plus, there's always _Aerith_."

He smiled, "She told me not to call. I promised to go see her."

"Well, then, we'd better hurry this up, shouldn't we?"

When we arrived back in town, Zack pardoned himself. I entered the Inn. The Innkeeper that day was the husband, and I guessed the couple took turns doing greeter duty. Upstairs, Jerry was awake when I stepped into the bedroom. He seemed a little relieved as he looked up from the table where he was eating breakfast. The food on his plate made me realize I hadn't eaten that morning; but, I ignored that fact and went to pick up my sleeping pile from the floor.

"Where were you?" He asked, "I was getting worried."

"They found Sephiroth," I replied, setting my staff on the ground and picking up the mess of blankets, "He's in the Shin-Ra Mansion."

"Oh," Jerry pouted a little. "You coulda told me that."

"You were asleep. I figured it better to leave you that way."

I stood up, walked to the first bed, and shook the blankets over it. They caught air and floated down to cover only half of the bed. I got angry at them because I was never able to perfectly get stupid sheets on a bed. Grumbling, I started to straighten them.

"…Why's Sephiroth in that mansion?" Jerry asked.

"He's reading," I frowned and then walked over to the other side of the bed to straighten out that half of the sheets.

Jerry, his mouth full of toast, asked, "Why's he reading? _What's_ he reading?"

I paused and stood up, hand on my hip as I stared at him, "Ain't your mama ever told you not to talk with your mouth full?"

He looked down at the table sheepishly. I went back to fixing the bed.

"And believe me, honey, it's best if you don't know. The more ignorant you remain of this situation the better."

Jerry swallowed, "Isn't that kind of…I don't know… Counter-productive? Shouldn't the _more_ I know the better?"

Having just finished the bed, I sighed. I walked over to the table, pulled out the chair across from him, and plopped down. Steepling my fingers in front of me, I stared Jerry in the eye so that he knew I was being serious.

"Jerry, listen to me. Should anything happen to _any_ of us, Shin-Ra's going to try and cover its tracks, and that means to get rid of all evidence of their screw-ups. I was in the Turks, I know this first hand. In the event that something like that should occur—"

Jerry tried to interject.

"Ah-bee-buh!" I said, pointing at him. He silenced himself and I continued, "I want you to run your skinny—"

"I'm not skinny," he mumbled.

"—_little ass_ away from here. Do I make myself clear?"

He was silent a moment before replying, "Ok, say I believed your little scenario—which I don't—why would I run away? I'm a SOLDIER, and I feel I should help my friends."

"And that is an admirable thought, it _real-ly_ is," I shook my head, "But, I'm telling you: Run away. Run away and never look back. You may doubt me, but I can tell you this right now, I am _always_ right about the bad things. And I didn't bring you back just so you could get yourself killed again. Now, do I make myself clear?"

Jerry was quiet, mulling the words over in his head. Eventually he said, "I still don't think something's going to happen."

I let my head fall to the table with the loud thud, groaned, and then got up.

"I'm going to take that as a yes. Now come on. We've been _volunteered_ to babysit Sephiroth in the Mansion," I said, not bothering to tell him that I'd been the one to do the volunteering.

"But…no one's lived in that thing for years, right?"

I picked up my staff from the floor and looked at him, "Yeah, and?"

"Well, it's old and probably falling apart…and it looks creepy," he mumbled.

I raised my eyebrows at him, "Well, then, we'll just have us a nice Haunted Mansion slumber party, now won't we?"

The look on Jerry's face was priceless. His mouth dropped as he looked at me like I had lost my mind…again. I barely contained my smirk.

Trying to sound positive for the kid, I said, "It's not as bad as it seems. It's actually quite pretty on the inside."

_Except for the basement,_ I thought. Inside, I chuckled evilly. I thought it best for him to find that one out on his own. He looked doubtful about my claims of the mansion's inner beauty and was hesitant.

I jerked my pointer finger upwards, "Up."

He sighed and grabbed his plate as he stood, "Fine."

"What are you doing?" I asked, frowning as I looked at the plate.

"Bringing my plate back down?" He half-asked.

"_Why_?"

"Because it's rude to make them do it? They've already been kind enough to hold the Inn for us for so long," he explained as he walked past me towards the bedroom door.

I doubted the Innkeepers were being kind by letting us stay for so long…they _were_ being paid. But, I guessed they _were_ being kind enough to fix us food and stuff. Again, on the other hand, maybe that was because they were being paid _a lot_. Frowning, I followed after Jerry, contemplating the Innkeepers' intentions—my mind going around and around in circles. The boy took the plate into the back room, emerging after a few seconds. He thanked the Innkeeper, I merely nodded, and we left the Inn.

Outside, I didn't see Zack anywhere. I didn't particularly care. I was more worried about Sephiroth and what he may or may not do.

—**FFVII—**

Jerry and I settled down in the West Wing of the mansion—the side opposite of the basement room. I figured it best to give Sephiroth at least the _illusion_ that he had some space. Plus, the room I had chosen for us to stay in had two beds, whereas the room with the basement door only had one. I had no desire to sleep on the floor again…

Earlier, I had dismissed Cloud, allowing him to go back to Nibelheim. I had also returned downstairs to find Sephiroth still reading. He had started on another book. He didn't look at me—didn't even acknowledge me in the slightest. That didn't stop me from telling him to at least make sure the he occasionally ate something, or else I'd bring something down to him. And Lord help him if I had to cook it!

It was already almost evening, and Sephiroth still had not left the basement. I was getting a little aggravated with him, but absolutely refused to go downstairs more than I had to. The damned thing was too old for my liking and, plus, I was just too damn lazy. So, instead, I sent Jerry.

I sat on my bed doodling something—I'd found a pen and scrap sheets of paper—and couldn't help but grin evilly at the thought of poor Jerry walking around downstairs…alone…with all the skeletons in a creepy cave. I chuckled.

I wasn't drawing anything in particular, just random symbols. Some not-so-perfect animals here and there. As I was trying to draw a feather, the door to the room slammed open. I jumped in surprise, causing the pen to slice across the paper and ruin my feather. I frowned down at it as Jerry skittered through the door and slammed it shut behind him. When I looked up at him, I could see the terror in his wide eyes. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost. I didn't doubt it considering the state of the basement.

"I am _not_ going back down there; I don't care what you do to me!" He exclaimed. My look of major confusion made him continue, "There's something down there."

Feeling like a smart ass, I couldn't resist toying with him, "…of course there is. Sephiroth's down there."

Jerry shook his head rapidly, "Not him! Something else!"

"…well, when you go down there, there is something else besides Sephiroth." Jerry gave me his strongest glare yet. I sighed, "Ok, fine. What does this something look like?"

"I don't know; I didn't see it. I just heard it."

It was my turn to give him the 'you've lost your mind' look.

"I'm not crazy!" He said defensively, "I'll-I'll prove it!"

I watched in shock as he stomped over to me, grabbed me by the right arm, and yanked me off the bed. I was so surprised that I didn't realize I was still clutching my papers in my left hand until _after_ we made it out the door and turned right, towards the other wing.

"I thought you weren't going back down there," I mused.

"Shut up!" Jerry snapped.

I smiled evilly. I allowed Jerry to drag me past the small stairs leading to the foyer, through the small room with the bookshelf, and into the room with the underground door. While going down the stairs, I once again found myself plastered against the wall, praying that I wouldn't trip and fall—taking Jerry out with me. I briefly wondered what Sephiroth would think if he were to take a bathroom break and found mine and Jerry's bodies piled up at the bottom of the stairs. As I was led into the cave, my sarcastic streak returned in full force.

"I don't hear anything," I smiled.

"I-am-not-crazy," Jerry replied.

I nodded behind him. Our destination, it seemed, was the door I had stared out during my first visit to the mansion. We stood in front of it, but didn't go in. Not yet. Jerry pointed at the door.

"It's in there."

Waiting a few moments, I tried to hear whatever he was talking about. When I didn't, I tilted my head to look at him, "I still don't hear anything."

Jerry gave me a hard stare in reply. It was obvious the kid thought he heard something. So, doing what parents often did with children who claimed the boogey-man was hiding under their bed or in their closet, I decided to humor him. Plus, I was a little curious myself and feeling sort of adventurous. I shrugged and looked back at the door.

"All right, then," I said. I pulled my arm out of Jerry's grasp and walked towards it.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Jerry whispered harshly.

I did a sweeping motion with my arms, gesturing towards the door, "Going in?"

Jerry stammered a bit, "B-buh… Wait a minute!"

I ignored his protests and went inside. The room only added to the basement's creepiness for it was full of yet more bones and some coffins. I was more than a little disturbed by that fact, but I knew that coffins alone could not hurt me. Unless there was some kind of coffin monster on Gaia that I didn't know about, then maybe, but I highly doubted it. There were no monsters in the room. I frowned.

"There's nothing—"

I paused as I heard the faintest of noises. I couldn't quite place the sound, but it definitely wasn't threatening. Jerry, who was behind me by that point, started jumping up and down excitedly.

"See, see, I told you!" He whispered triumphantly.

I glared at him. Looking around, I listened and tried to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. Much to my surprise, it was coming from the center coffin. Frowning, I walked over to it and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge. I knelt beside it.

"Are you insane?" I heard Jerry hiss behind me.

"Ssh!" I commanded. I leaned down and put my ear to the coffin. I was surprised to hear breathing on the other side, "Someone's in there…and I think he's sleeping."

"Or she," Jerry muttered quietly.

"Or she," I echoed.

Standing up, I looked at the coffin and was struck by a genius yet diabolical plot. Grinning evilly, I took one of my scrap sheets of paper and my pen, used the coffin lid as a desk, and wrote 'DO NOT DISTURB'. Looking around, I found a rock. I put the paper on the coffin lid and used the rock to keep it on there…in the very unlikely chance of a stray wind blowing it away.

"What did you do?" Jerry asked condescendingly before he peeked over my shoulder. After reading the note, he smacked his forehead with his palm.

"Oooh, wait, wait, wait!" I exclaimed.

As an afterthought, I added, 'Or I might sparkle on you!' to the note. I snorted and grinned at my cleverness.

"Oh, for the love of God," Jerry said in exasperation.

I got up and shoved the other papers and the pen in my pocket, "Other than the random person sleeping in this coffin, I don't think you have anything to worry about, Jerry."

"I wasn't worried," he replied defensively as I walked out of the room. He followed behind me and shut the door.

"Riiight, and that 'Oh em gee!' face you had when you stormed into the bedroom so agrees with you."

Jerry grumbled unintelligently behind me. Jerry and I went back upstairs, me running up the cursed things while saying a silent mantra of, 'One foot in front of the other, just don't stop.' The rest of our night was spent either inside our room talking, or downstairs cooking. Both Jerry and I realized pretty quickly that we weren't the best cooks in the world, as evident by the mess we made, but eventually dinner was finished. It might not have looked like much, but at least it tasted good.

We ate, and after we were finished, I saved a plate for Sephiroth. I didn't know if the old mansion had tin foil or anything hiding in one of its many cupboards, and I really didn't want to look, so I just wrapped a spare dish towel I had found—and cleaned— around the plate and left it on the table. After we were done, Jerry and I went back upstairs and settled in for the night.

From that day, Sephiroth shut himself inside the Shin-Ra Mansion…and proceeded to review document after document, like a man possessed. The lights in the basement never went off…

—**On the Seventh Day—**

Jerry and I were settling in for the night. I wondered if Sephiroth would take the plate I had fixed. They were, in fact, disappearing every night, I had discovered. At least the General wouldn't starve to death. Jerry sat on his bed watching me as I took my necklace's string, moved it so that the back was actually in the back, and placed the medallion under my shirt. I didn't want it getting tangled up in my hair as I slept, as the threaded knots were hell to try and pry out of my long hair. Jerry spoke suddenly, causing me to jump a little.

"What is that thing, exactly?"

I blinked at him in confusion and then realized he was talking about my necklace. I pulled it back out of my shirt and looked at the side that always faced out.

"Ronnie and I went to a fair once and bought them. Well, _I_ bought them; Ronnie'd spent all his money by then. The silver ones were more expensive so we had to settle for copper. But, because it's copper, it tarnishes hella fast. I really should clean it again…" I frowned and then pitifully tried to scrub off the dark coloration.

"What's it of?" Jerry asked, leaning forward to try and see it.

I got up and held the necklace out to him though it was still wrapped around my neck.

"One side's a Phoenix, the other," I turned it to show him the other side, "is a wolf. One stands for me; one stands for Ronnie."

"Oh…" Jerry said as he leaned back, "Which stands for who?"

I smirked and sat back on my bed, "Well, since the Phoenix always faces out when I wear mine, obviously it stands for me."

Jerry frowned in slight annoyance at my smart ass remark.

I continued, "I've identified myself with the Phoenix since I was—" I caught myself about to say 'in high school'. I rephrased, "—seventeen, I think… Somewhere around there. Obviously, it's been years," I laughed. "I think Ronnie picked the wolf because he wanted a werewolf, but they didn't have that. Then again, he's always liked wolves, too." I shrugged, "Maybe it was a little bit of both."

"Ronnie still wears his?" Jerry asked. "I've never seen it…"

I leaned back on my elbows, my legs dangling over the edge of the bed, "Yeah, he wears it. However, him being a Turk, he's gotta look 'professional'," I used air quotes, "so he keeps it under his shirt. Actually, he almost always keeps it under his shirt."

Jerry read my small frown accurately, "You know, you keep it hidden pretty well, too."

I nodded, "This is true. However, I do it because I don't want my necklace flying and smacking me in the head while I'm fighting. I've done that with a heart necklace before—and since that thing was entirely metal, it hurt like hell."

We fell silent for a moment. I watched Jerry cast his eyes to the side. I could tell he wanted to say or ask something, so I waited patiently for him to speak. He finally looked up.

"Why do you identify yourself with the Phoenix? I've heard it was a Summon, but I don't know what it does."

I frowned when I remembered Sephiroth taking the Summon from me. I was still a little peeved at him for that.

"Well, I don't really know. You can say it chose me. That sounds corny, I know, but that's the way it feels." I paused to collect my thoughts before continuing, "Most people attribute the Phoenix with rebirth—after all, that's what it does. They use it as a symbol of leaving behind their old life and moving on; to deconstruct their old self and reconstruct it into something beautiful. But that's not how I see it."

I smiled as I remembered an old Flyleaf song, "To me, the Phoenix is Justice and Mercy all rolled into one. It's like the fire it's made up of. It can consume or refine. It can be gentle and tame, or it can be dangerous and rebel. What it does all depends on the person who tries to use it. With its infinite wisdom, it is Judge." I smiled again, "I guess if you look at it that way, it's a lot like Anubis."

"It really means a lot to you," Jerry replied, sincere.

My smile faded, "Yes it does."

Jerry chewed on his bottom lip, feeling awkward, before asking, "Can I have one?"

"One what?" I blinked.

"A necklace. You and Ronnie have one. Can I have one?"

I smirked while thinking, _Cute_.

"Well, I can't stop you from getting one… You'll have to find someone to make it for you, though. I don't think the people who made mine and Ronnie's are still in business. Plus, you'll have to think of what you want on it."

"I want a Phoenix," Jerry said so fast it caught me off-guard.

I blinked, "Do you want it like mine?"

He nodded, blushing in embarrassment.

"Eef," I replied. "That might be difficult… The people who made my necklace used already made templates to press the metal into the shape—I just chose which template I wanted. So, someone else is going to have to make a whole new template based on this design. Oh, I know!"

I took off my necklace and threw it at Jerry. He let out a yelp of surprise but managed to catch it. Then he looked up at me in confusion.

"Take a picture of it with your phone and just show that to them," I explained. As Jerry did as I suggested, I continued, "You're going to have to think of something else to put on the other side."

Jerry frowned, "It'd have to be something that represents me, wouldn't it?"

"Yep. Have anything in mind?"

"Not…really," he said, tossing the necklace back to me with an underhanded throw. "I've never really given it much thought." He shrugged.

"Hmm…" I hummed, pursing my lips together thoughtfully. "I'd say a cat."

Jerry was surprised, "A cat? Why a cat?"

I pointed to my own head and eyes, "'Cuz you look like a tabby."

He pouted and folded his arms, "So what if I have orange hair and eyes? And cats aren't cool."

"They are too cool! They're independent creatures that _allowed_ themselves to be domesticated. If they like you, they're just as loyal as any dog and nowhere _near_ as hyper. Plus, they're soft and fluffy."

Jerry made a face of mock disgust, "Did you just call me soft and fluffy?"

"Oh, shut up, you!" I snapped.

I grabbed my pillow and flung it at him as hard as I could. He snatched it out of the air before it could hit him.

"Go to sleep!" I commanded. "You're cooking breakfast tomorrow."

He stuck his tongue out at me. Then he flopped down onto his bed and rolled over so that his back was facing me. It was then that I realized he still had my pillow.

"Hey! Give me back my pillow!"

"You shouldn't have thrown it!" He shot back, throwing it to me with a grin on his face.

The pillow smacked weakly against my chest. Pouting, I fluffed it up and placed it back where it belonged. Slipping under the covers, I rolled onto my right side—away from Jerry. My thoughts as I drifted off to sleep were about my necklace and my life back on Earth. With a sigh I banished the thoughts and allowed myself to drift off to sleep.

I woke up in the middle of the night with a jerk. I didn't know what time it was or why I had woken up, but I could sense that something was wrong. I sat up on my bed—nervous—and looked over to see Jerry sleeping peacefully in his own bed. A little disturbed, I kicked off my blankets and quickly put my boots on.

I left Jerry where he was and practically ran to the basement. I knew something was bothering me when I didn't even worry about falling down the stairs as I jogged down them. I walked to the underground lab and—despite my uneasiness—quietly and gently opened the door, easing my way in. As soon as I stepped in, I heard Sephiroth laugh. It was a laugh that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

"Sephiroth?" I asked quietly. Nervously.

I walked past the strange lab table, ignoring the things floating in the jars that rested on shelves through the room. I opened the door that lead to the study and walked inside. Sephiroth heard the door open and looked up from where he sat on the other side of the big, round table in the center of the room. I couldn't even count how many books he'd gone through. I managed to keep walking towards him despite the glare he shot at me.

"Who is it?" He snapped.

I frowned as I continued to approach. His eyes sparked with recognition the closer I got. They lost a little of their fire, but he kept them narrow as he watched me stop in front of the table.

"Hmph…traitor," he said lowly.

I scowled at him, "Traitor?"

Sephiroth got out of his chair and walked towards a bookcase, his back to me, "You ignorant traitor. I'll tell you. This planet originally belonged to the Cetra. Cetra was an itinerant race. They would migrate in, settle the planet, then move on. At the end of their harsh, hard journey, they would find the Promised Land and supreme happiness."

He turned to face me, hate rolling off his features, "But, those that disliked the journey appeared. Those who stopped their migrations built shelters and elected to learn an easier life. They took that which the Cetra and the planet had made without giving back one whit in return!"

I flinched a little as Sephiroth raised his voice for the first time in ages—if ever.

Spitefully, he finished his tirade, "Those are your ancestors."

I realized that whatever Sephiroth read _was_ about the Ancients, just as Hojo said. And the way Sephiroth was calling me a traitor meant that he considered himself one of them. If he considered himself an Ancient, that meant he thought his ancestors weren't human. Sephiroth thought Jenova to be an Ancient. I was weary of the situation I found myself and Sephiroth in, and proceeded with caution. It was obvious he was highly pissed and I didn't want to upset him further.

"Sephiroth…" I cautioned.

"Long ago, disaster struck this planet. Your ancestors escaped... They survived because they hid. The planet was saved by sacrificing the Cetra. After that, your ancestors continued to increase. Now all that's left of the Cetra are these reports."

I smiled a little, "Don't lump me with _them_, Sephiroth. I might not be like you, but I'm not like them, either."

Sephiroth hmphed. He walked until he was standing beside me, but he refused to look at me. A gesture that wasn't uncommon for Sephiroth.

"We shall see."

I remained silent. I didn't look at Sephiroth. I could practically feel the tension and anger rolling off him; and like a submissive dog, I didn't want to provoke him with a simple look.

"An Ancient named Jenova was found in a geological stratum of 2000 years ago. The Jenova Project Genesis mentioned… He was wrong, though. My mother is no monster," he seethed. "The Jenova Project wanted to produce people with powers of the Ancients…no, the Cetra. …I am the one that was produced."

I frowned and risked looking at him, confused, "Produced?"

"Yes," was his simple response. "Professor Gast, leader of the Jenova Project and genius scientist, produced me."

I watched Sephiroth, a horrid feeling twisting in my chest, as he left my side and walked down the hallway and to the open door leading to the lab.

"What do you mean he 'produced'?" I asked. "Sephiroth!"

The silver-haired man paused briefly, "Out of my way. I'm going to see my mother."

He stormed out of the underground chamber. My eyes widened as Sephiroth mentioned going to see Jenova. Since I had arrived in Nibelheim, I had been having problems with my suit. I attributed the loud ringing in my ears as interference from Jenova being so close, as my armlet—according to Hojo—had her cells inside it. I knew that Sephiroth probably had many more cells inside of him than my armlet and was afraid of what might happen if he got too close to Jenova in the state he was in.

I opened my mouth to speak and took a step toward him, but I quickly stopped myself. Sephiroth was unstable and, quite frankly, I was afraid of him. I remembered Jerry and took off down the hall. I expected to see Sephiroth climbing the stairs as I rushed out of the underground room and into the cave, but as I ran, I couldn't see him anywhere. I swore quietly, not believing that Sephiroth was so fast.

I took the stairs two-by-two, my fear of something happening to Jerry overshadowing my fear of the rickety mess. Once upstairs, I again noticed I couldn't see Sephiroth. I prayed he hadn't gone into mine and Jerry's room. Reaching the door, I saw that it was cracked open. My prayers grew more frantic and I wound up nearly smacking the door off its hinges as I flung it open with my left hand. I was relieved to find Jerry peacefully lying in his bed. The sound of the door slamming into the wall, however, rudely awakened the kid.

Jerry snorted, jerking upright with a little flailing kick that knocked the covers everywhere, "What, what?" He looked at the door in shock then squinted to try and see me, "Wha—?"

"Oh-thank-goodness!" I exclaimed. I ran to him, grabbed a hold of his right arm, and shook it up and down, "Come on, we gotta go. We gotta go _now_!"

Jerry tried to shove me off, "What? What's going on? Why? Will you stop that!"

"No I will not!" I barked.

I literally dragged him off the bed, his ass hitting the floor with a loud thump. Half of the covers decided they'd come with him and piled themselves around his legs.

"Hurry up and get your shoes on, Sephiroth's going to see his mother."

Jerry blinked in confusion. He grabbed his boots anyway and started putting them on.

"Wait…_what?_" He asked, shaking his head. "Why are you worried about his—"

"BECAUSE SHE'S A PSYCHO—" I bit my tongue to silence myself. I didn't need Jerry knowing anymore than he should, "Look, just trust me on this one. Have you ever seen me this terrified in my life?"

Jerry looked up at me and studied my face.

He frowned, mumbling, "No."

"Exactly!" I exclaimed, "No."

I grabbed him and yanked him to his feet. He stumbled a bit in the covers, but caught himself as I led him to the door. I grabbed my staff with my free hand on the way out.

"We have to stop him."

"We? Have to stop Sephiroth?" Jerry asked. I could hear the frown in his voice.

I moaned. I dragged Jerry all the way to the foyer. I could tell by the way he was walking behind me that he was still mostly asleep. As soon as we stepped outside, a red glow could be seen coming from Nibelheim. I squinted at it, confused as to what I was seeing.

"What is _that_?" Jerry asked as he came up beside me.

As I stared at the glow, I caught sight of small flickering beads of light rising into the sky. Not even a second later, my brain recognized the tiny lights as embers. The red glow we were gawking at was a massive fire. My mouth slowly opened and my hand slackened on Jerry's forearm.

"Saan?" Jerry asked, worried. He was starting to figure it out, too, "Is that—?"

"My God, what have you done?" I whispered breathlessly.

I didn't want to go and confirm what I could see above the small mountain peaks, but I knew I must. I let go of Jerry's arm and looked back at him. I could tell he was fully awake at that point—the gravity of what was going on around him snapping him to attention. I gave him a look, trying to instill him with courage I didn't feel myself. Nodding I turned and ran towards the little town. I heard Jerry's footsteps behind me.

As we approached, the air around us got warmer and warmer from the heat of the flames. From this alone, I knew Sephiroth had probably burnt down the whole town. Remembering Zack and Cloud were in the town, I panicked.

Once down the staircase, the heat of the flames was even worse than a day at Costa del Sol. My hand found its way to my mouth as I stared in horror at the burning buildings. Even the water tower was burning! I heard no screams and found myself not wanting to know why. I also couldn't help but feel guilty for the town burning. I had promised to watch over Sephiroth, and yet I failed to stop him from doing what he had. But, I never thought he would have gone so far.

"My God, what have _I_ done?" I asked myself.

Snapping my head to the right, I saw Zangan in front of a building near the Inn. He was leaning over the cameraman from before. I cupped my hands over my mouth and shouted at him, trying to be heard over the roar of the flames and the crackling of burning wood.

"Zangan!"

"Miss SOLDIER?" He shouted back to me.

I ran past the fires to reach the older man. Jerry was beside me the whole way.

"This is bad," he muttered. "This is beyond bad."

Zangan looked up at me as I slowed to a stop beside him, "You still sane, right?"

I nodded, "I'm sorry. I couldn't stop—"

He held up his hand to silence me, "With what that man's done, I don't doubt it. Perhaps it was wise for you not to try. What matters now is helping these people. Can you help me?"

I nodded again. I was determined to try and make up for my mistakes. I turned to Jerry.

"Help all those you can. If someone needs Cure, holler for me. If you see Sephiroth, make sure you stay out of his way. I think… I think that as long as you don't try and stop him from getting to the Reactor, he should leave you alone…for the most part."

"Right," Jerry replied before running off to the other side of town.

I leaned down beside the cameraman. He had a deep gash starting from one shoulder, going diagonal across his chest, and ending at his hip. I cringed inwardly, held the ankh of my staff above him, and cast Cura. A majority of the wound closed—to the point where he didn't risk bleeding to death. Zangan watched in amazement. He opened his mouth to say something but was stopped as Zack came rushing out of the Inn. I was relieved to see him, but I wondered how he slept through the village getting torched.

Zack looked around in surprise and then found Zangan and me. He ran towards us. Before I could say anything to him, Zangan spoke.

"What about you, boy? Are you still sane?"

Zack's eyes darted around quickly, trying to make sense of the chaos around him, "As much as one can be in this mess." He looked at me, "What happened?"

"Sephiroth's…snapped," I replied, finding no better word to use.

Zangan barked out a laugh as he started to pick up the cameraman, "Snapped is a nice way to put it. The damn man has turned homicidal maniac."

I glared briefly at the old man, but remembered he didn't know the reasons behind Sephiroth's actions. Not that Sephiroth was justified in what he was doing, by no means, but…

"But _why_?" Zack asked. "Sephiroth wouldn't…He just wouldn't…"

I looked at the boy, "Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't. But he's not normal anymore. Zack, he's going to the Reactor. You have to stop him."

"Are you sure?" He asked, understanding the issue of Sephiroth getting near Jenova.

"One-hundred percent."

He nodded, "All right then. Do you need any help?"

"As much help as we can get," Zangan replied, "but I think the girl's right; you should be at the Reactor. Tifa's father went to the Reactor a while ago, and when Tifa found out, she went after him."

Zack groaned, "Great. Saan, help these people out as much as you can. When you're done, come to the Reactor."

I nodded and Zack ran off through the fire and towards the staircase.

"I really hope that boy's strong enough to stop Sephiroth. He seems full of spirit, but that doesn't always spell victory," Zangan muttered.

"I hope for all our sakes that you're right, old man," I replied and then looked back at him, "Do you know any particular place I should look? I never really had much time to look around before vacating to the Mansion."

Zangan nodded across the road, "I would check over there. I have this side covered."

I turned without another word to the man and ran around the burning water tower. Getting to the houses on the other side, I activated my suit, remembering to hold back the helmet. The first house I went to was the farthest on the right. I used a side kick to open the door. I had to duck quickly as flame erupted over my head. Silently cursing myself for being a dumb ass and forgetting the back draft effect, I ran into the house. My eyes immediately began to water and dry out from the heat. I looked around and froze momentarily as I saw what could only be the burning body of a woman in the corner.

Through willpower alone was I able to rip my eyes off the morbid sight and head upstairs. The wood creaked under my feet and I feared that it might collapse on me; but I had to check upstairs. If there was one person worth saving, then by God, I was going to save them.

As my head came up above the second floor I made out the bodies of two small children. Smoke had billowed up on the ceiling, darkening the room substantially. It appeared that the fire had started to spread up the walls after having snaked its way from the downstairs floor, outside, and up to the second floor. Much to my relief, the children were still conscious and alive.

I ran to them as they stayed cowering in the center of the room. I knelt beside them, dragging them to their feet and trying my best to limit my breathing so as not to inhale too much of the toxic fumes.

Hoarsely I shouted, "Come on! Let's go!"

The children instinctually grasped onto my sides as I lifted them up, my arms supporting their weight. They were amazingly light, but that was probably due to them being so young. As fast as I could, I ran back down the stairs. My staff was too long for me, the children, and it to fit down the staircase; so, I awkwardly threw it down the stairs to the bottom floor.

I ran down the stairs with the kids and ignored the staff.

"Close your eyes!" I ordered. I didn't want the children to see the body of their mother.

I rushed them outside, quickly putting them down where they collapsed and coughed, grasping one another in fear. I ran back inside for my staff, grabbed it, and made it outside just in time to hear some part of the house crumble from within. With a silent prayer and a cough, I placed my staff near the two children and cast Cura—first on the boy and then on the girl.

I wasn't sure if the Restore spells worked on smoke inhalation, but since the children's breathing started to come a little easier, I assumed they did. The little boy was desperately clinging to his older sister as the girl looked back at the house, tears brimming in her bright eyes that reflect the wreckage of their own home.

"Mommy!" The girl cried, looking at me, "Where's Mommy!"

"Where's Mommy!" the boy echoed with a little speech impediment.

I flinched a little and tried my best to keep my own sadness from reflecting on my face. I knew that that would only make the children more emotional, and I needed them to be strong enough to escape on their own.

"I'll take care of Mommy. But you've got to run now, okay? That old man. The one that's been hanging around town lately? He's waiting for you at the entrance. I need you to run to him for me, can you do that? Can you run to him for me?"

I felt horrible for lying to them about their mother, but I couldn't tell them she was dead. I wasn't even sure if the children knew what it meant to be dead, they were so young. The girl nodded weakly, grabbed her brother's hand, and took off running for the entrance to Nibelheim. I watched them leave, making sure they didn't try and come back. After I was certain they were gone, I moved on to the next house.

The fire was worse inside that building than the previous. A big piece of burning rubble kept me from entering it. Swearing, I went to the window to try and see inside. I couldn't see anybody and heard no sounds of screaming. Maybe that was a good thing.

Taking a quick count of the houses and I realized that one of them had to belong to Tifa's family, and the other to Cloud's—both of which should be empty for the most part. Swearing again, I beat my fist angrily against the glass and went to move on to the next house. As I turned I came face to face with a panic-stricken Jerry. I screamed in surprise, my hand flying to my chest.

"Please-don't-do-that!" I screeched.

"Cloud's gone," He said.

"What?" I asked, panicking.

"As in he's not here, he just left."

I breathed a sigh of relief…only to panic again, "Oh, don't' tell me."

"I tried to stop him, I really did! But…Sephiroth… He-he burnt Cloud's home, too. And Cloud's mother," Jerry trailed off, looking down as he didn't want to finish his sentence. "Well, they're both gone now."

"Oh, no…" I muttered, looking away from Jerry and towards the direction of the staircase leading out of Nibelheim, "He's going after him."

Jerry nodded weakly and then looked up from the ground, "I've checked the other houses, and the people who aren't dead have escaped. At least Tifa's all right."

I cringed, "Tifa's gone to the Reactor, too…"

"What?" Jerry screeched in alarm.

I looked back at him with resolve and determination, "Come on. Everything's fine here. Ok, that was a bad choice of words. Everyone's been helped that we can help, so now all our efforts have to be put to saving Tifa and Cloud from themselves. Sephiroth will mow them down like annoying weeds if they try to stop him; and I have a funny suspicion that's what they're trying to do."

I took off running, Jerry's hurried footsteps right behind me.

"What about Zack?" He asked.

"Also at the Reactor and can take of himself." _I hope_, I added in my head.

We ran up the stairs, away from the blaze once known as Nibelheim. The further away we got from the inferno, the chillier the air became—welcomed relief for me. Though my suit prevented me from being burned and could withstand fire better than conventional armor, it still got a little toasty within the metal suit.

As we ran through the ever increasing mountainous terrain, I began to realize that bringing Jerry with me was a dumb and foolish idea. I had done it because I wanted to keep an eye on him and make sure that he didn't get hurt; but I was running into a warzone and Jerry was no match for Sephiroth _with_ a weapon, let alone _without_. Hell, I myself was no match for him, I'd discovered in the battle not but a little over a week ago. The only hope I had of defeating Sephiroth—I knew that would be the only way to calm him down and stop him—was if Zack was there with me. And even then, I didn't know if we'd be enough.

Pessimistic thoughts ran through my mind as we went up the steep mountain path of the first spire of the Nibel Range. A small cave was in the distance. What Tifa said the first time we had tried to climb the mountains rang through my head. The mountains were connected by tunnels—much like an ant hill. I would need to take them to get to the Reactor. But in the caves, monsters were likely to lurk, and in the dark, I might not be able to protect Jerry. Sure, I had all the spells my Restore Materia granted me and Life, but I didn't want Jerry to go through the pain that required me to use said spells.

My dread caused me to slow in my pace and eventually I came to a stop. I turned to look at the boy. He was just as breathless as I was. He put his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"Why are you stopping?" He gasped. "Did we make a wrong turn?"

I opened my mouth to reply when a familiar sound reached my ears—the sound of a motor and blades slicing through the air. I wouldn't have heard it had we not stopped running; our footfalls were far louder. Looking over my left shoulder, back towards Nibelheim, I caught sight of a blinking red dot in the distance.

"Tch."

It was a helicopter. And only one branch of Shin-Ra personally owned and operated the flying vehicles—The Turks.

"How the hell did they find out so soon?" I grumbled.

Jerry sighed heavily after regaining his breath, "What?"

He looked towards the helicopter, squinting to try and make it out against the night sky.

No one had time to call the Turks about what was going on, not to my knowledge… So someone _had_ to have been watching our little group from nearby. That complicated matters. The Turks would make sure no survivor escaped without first being captured and questioned by Shin-Ra. As I looked back at Jerry, I knew he would also be one of those questioned. And since he was a SOLDIER… A sickening feeling twisted within my gut.

"Jerry," I said sternly, my annoyance being misdirected at him. When he looked back at me I continued, "You remember what I told you that day in the Inn?"

He immediately frowned and just as sternly said, "No! I'm not running—"

I glared at him, my hand tightening around my staff. The look I gave him silenced him. In fact, he looked like a kicked dog. Before I could say anything, however, a flash of red in my peripheral alerted me to the danger we were in. Without a word, my left hand grabbed a hold of Jerry's shirt and I swung my arm around. Both of us spun before falling into the rock wall behind a boulder.

The jet of fire that had been aimed at us scorched the earth where we had previously been standing. I tried to regain my balance as I crouched on the balls of my feet—barely aware of Jerry desperately grabbing on to me in shock and fear.

"Shit!" I cursed.

"What the hell was that?" Jerry asked frantically.

I risked peeking my head out from behind the boulder to see what had attacked us, but it was unneeded for the creature, that we had once regarded as a part of the mountain, rose from its spot. Its long and serpent-like neck towered above us as it lifted high into the air. My jaw slackened in awe at the dragon. It was no different than the creature Sephiroth had slain when we first arrived in the Nibelheim area.

Though the monster was the same, the scenario was completely different. It had been daylight and open when Sephiroth fought; now, however, it was nighttime and the mountain we were on was steep and narrow. It would be hell if I fought the creature in our current position. For a brief second, I wondered if Jerry and I should just flee into the cave to avoid it. But that wouldn't solve the problem. Plus, for Jerry to escape, I couldn't allow the dragon to remain for it to merely pick him off later. To my dismay, I was going to have to fight it.

The dragon's slender neck turned towards us, its eyes glowing menacingly in the darkness. I inwardly swore again—the creature could see in the dark! There would be no hiding places for Jerry and me.

Grasping frantically at the boy as the monster's mouth parted slightly to reveal sharp teeth and a shimmering flame dancing in the back of its throat, my hand eventually found purchase. I shoved him violently back on to the path, away from the boulder.

"Run!" I shouted.

Jerry complied and, no sooner had I run from behind the rock did scorching hot flame envelope it. The flame was extremely bright to my eyes, which had grown accustomed to the darkness for a while by then. I looked away and focused on trying to make out just how big of an enemy I was dealing with while at the same time pushing Jerry further and further away from the monster.

Within a second, I'd given up trying to gauge how big it was and decided that my best bet was to simply shoot it full of magic and aim for the head. As a dragon, it was bound to have extremely strong scales, and they should be weaker around the face. I hoped. I was merely running on speculation of all the fantasy movies I'd watched back on Earth.

The creature bellowed in what seemed like frustration as it missed a second time. It fell onto its front legs, the ground shaking as it did so, the sound of tumbling rocks accompanying the earthshaking boom. I was amazed to find myself nowhere near as frightened of the creature as I had been with Sephiroth. It was strange, if I stopped to think about; so I didn't. Instead, I let my anger boil up from where I kept it hidden away in my chest. The feeling of anger would quickly overshadow my feeling of fear—just as it had done when I went up against the Sephiroth copy. And that was what I wanted; that was the fuel I needed.

Grinding my teeth together, I brought my staff up and aimed it towards the creature's face as it stalked towards us—moving slow and to the side. The monster hissed harshly at me, reminding me of a velociraptor from _Jurassic Park_. Though the dragon was undeniably bigger.

I took that as my cue and released a spell of Thundaga. The dragon was pretty quick and managed to dodge a majority of the streaks of lightning that sought it out. However, at least one collided with its head. The resulting explosion caused me to almost turn away from the brightness. Almost. I knew I had to keep my eyes on the enemy; so, I settled for squinting and hoping the temporary, partial blindness would clear away in time.

The dragon cried out in pain. I watched, preparing another cast, as the creature shook its head as if it were a dog trying to rid itself of bathwater and hissed. The damage to the monster's head was far less than I had been expecting. Or wanting, for that matter. Jerry, by that time, had run his way up the mountain to the cave. I was thankful that he'd left me—he wouldn't be in the way.

With surprising speed the dragon charged, looking like an angry lizard. My eyes widened a little as I quickly dodged back to the boulder Jerry and I had hid behind before; it was the only place left to run unless I wanted to fall off the cliff. I heard the dragon's jaws snap shut behind me. Swearing internally, I hit the ground on my right shoulder and rolled to come back up on my feet.

Without bother to aim, I fired another shot of Thundaga. I watched in dismay as the dragon brought its left wing up to completely block the attack. The lightning sparked weakly against the leathery appendage, spread out, and dissipated. To the dragon it was probably nothing more than a mere tickle. Of all the body parts I could have hit, it had to have been that damned, tiny wing.

The dragon almost looked smug as it moved towards me. I was trapped between the mountain wall, the boulder, and the dragon, but I still didn't feel as if I was in any real danger. The creature might have been big, and could be fast, but it wasn't as fast as I was. And because I was so small, it would be easy for me to slip out of its grasp, get under it, and attack. I stood completely still, readying myself for my daring move.

I was barely able to make out the dragon's muscles move in its neck as it took the bait. Its head shot forward at an amazing speed. I side-stepped the vicious snap that vibrated off the rock wall behind me and ran under the monster. However, I had underestimated its speed.

With a small gasp, I saw the neck of the dragon rotate _just_ a bit. The sound of its jaws snapping and my armor cracking hit me before the pain did. Before I knew it, I was dangling in the air by my left leg, my staff falling to the ground. Then the pain finally registered. The scream that forced its way passed my lips was hoarse and bone-chilling. The sensation of my crushed leg grinding between the giant teeth of the monster was sickening. But I didn't allow my brain to focus on that. If I had, I'm sure my brain would have locked-up and sent me into shock. And, given my position at the time, I couldn't risk that.

Biting hard on my bottom lip, barely conscious of the fact I was bringing blood, I tried my damnedest to ignore the pain as I contorted myself like a cat. I slammed my left hand onto the dragon's face, my claws activating and digging in deep to prevent me from slipping. I had aimed to get my hand as close as I could get it to the creature's eye. I cast Death from the Materia on the back of my hand.

I watched through tears of pain as the dark spell attacked the monster's face. Suddenly, there was a brilliant flash. A small shockwave of electricity flowed through both the dragon and me. With a cry, the creature opened its mouth. I was abruptly dropped before it shook its head back and forth, snapping mercilessly at the air.

As luck would have it—_my _luck—my injured leg collided with the ground first and my suit deactivated. The pain that shot through my body forced another scream from me. I felt someone wrapping their arms around me, trying to catch me, as my whole body went rigid. My back arced as my right arm shot out to the side. I felt it hit my staff. Without thinking, I pointed my staff at the dragon. It was screaming and backing away, trying to distance itself away from the small creatures that were attacking it. I thought, _'You sonuvabitch_' as I shot another cast of Thundaga.

The spell hit the dragon in the chest. The following explosion pushed the monster back and, with a shrill cry, it tumbled over the edge of the mountain. The sounds of its body tumbling down did nothing to alleviate my pain. My breathing was rapid, coming through clenched teeth, as I moved my ankh over my crushed leg. Doubting my ability to concentrate anymore, I decided to speak the spell aloud.

"C-cure," I muttered breathlessly.

Immediately, the bright, shimmering, green light of Curaga enveloped my leg, mending the broken bones and torn tissues. After a few agonizing seconds, the spell had done its job. Once again I let my emotions get the better of me as I cried out, turning around in Jerry's arms—for who else would be holding me?—and wrapped my own tightly around his shoulders, squeezing as hard as I could as I shivered. I was a little surprised when I felt his arms tighten around me just as firmly, but I was relieved as well.

We sat like that for at least a minute—me shaking uncontrollably as my body tried to recover from the trauma it had received. Even with the physical scars healed, the mental ones still remained, and my brain was slow to catch on that everything was all right.

When I finally started to calm down, Jerry muttered:

"You idiot."

I sniffled, spasming once before regaining control of my body, "That's my line…"

Pushing aside the events that transpired, I pushed away from Jerry. He let go of me and looked at me with concern. I knew that Sephiroth and the others were still at the reactor and time hadn't stopped just because of my fight with the dragon. I had to hurry. I stood up, my leg still a little tender despite being healed. My teeth marks were still on my bottom lip, as well, but they were better than they had been.

Jerry stood up and handed me my staff. So, he was the reason I had been able to reach it. When I thought about it, a Thundaga spell _had_ been cast at the dragon at the same time I used Death. So that was Jerry's doing, too. Funny. I'd saved his life; he'd saved mine.

"You still want me to leave?" Jerry asked me, serious.

"Leave. Hide. I don't care what you do as long as you don't get caught. If you leave now, you'll have the cover of darkness. However, so will the monsters. If you choose to hide and wait until daylight, you risk being seen by Shin-Ra. It's all up to you what you do." I reached into my pocket and handed him the Restore Materia that had been formed when I gained Curaga, "Here. It might come in handy."

"What am I supposed to do?" He asked. "I _work_ for Shin-Ra… I can't just not show up…"

"You can and you will…depending on what happens. We can simply say you fell from the bridge and died," I smirked. "It's always best to throw in some truths to your lies. As for your body, it was picked off by monsters."

Jerry was frowning, "It's a little disturbing how easily you say such things."

I frowned too, "It's because it's not true that I'm able to say it." I nodded back the way we'd come, "Now run along, and _be careful_. The Turks can't land in this rocky terrain with the helicopter, so if and when they come, they'll be on foot."

Jerry didn't want to listen to me but I could tell by the look in his eyes that he would. Without saying good-bye, I took off up the path to the caves. I never said good-bye—not anymore. I wasn't exactly sure when it was, but I just stopped saying it one day. Personally, I felt 'good-bye' was final, and so I didn't say it to those I knew I would see again. Whenever I left someone, I was merely putting that relationship on pause until next time; and then I simply hit play later.

It took me a good while to make it through the caves. Luckily, they were pretty easy to navigate through. I encountered monsters on my journey, but I didn't waste any time fighting them. I had used all my magic against the dragon and I didn't carry Ethers around with me. Zack did that…but he had ginormous pockets in those poofy pants of his. I did not. So, instead of using magic against them, I merely smacked them away—hard—with my staff if they chose to get to close to me.

When I reached the Reactor, I was a little surprised by how small it was. Sure, it was big compared to me, but it didn't seem as big as the ones in Midgar; and, compared to the power-making buildings of Earth, it was a midget.

The feeling of dread once again knotted itself within my chest. No one was outside. In fact, there was no sign of anyone being there…period. Something was wrong.

I ran up the metal stairs, my boots thudding loudly as I took them two at a time. The door leading inside was wide open, allowing me to see inside. My full-speed run quickly came to a stop as I saw the lifeless body of a man straight across from me on the other side of the metal walkway. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves, and walked towards him.

I recognized the man as Tifa's father. Kneeling beside him, I saw the wound in his back. I instantly knew it was the Masamune that had killed the man; it had been Sephiroth.

I put the back of my hand to my mouth. I felt sorry for the man; I felt sorry for Tifa. They should have known. They should have known better than to mess with _him_. Even if I had had magic, I wouldn't have been able to save the man. He had been dead too long.

Standing up, I went further into the Reactor. I was a little afraid of what I would find and more than a little apprehensive. Not only did Sephiroth await, but so did Jenova.

Walking into the bowels of the Reactor, my eyes widened as my breath caught in my throat. My brain paid no heed to the many pods that lined the walls or the big sign in the back that read 'JENOVA'. No, when my eyes landed on the bodies of both Cloud and Zack, lying lifeless on the staircase, everything else simply stopped existing.

My staff clattered loudly to the floor as I ran to them. Zack was closest to me, so I knelt beside him first. Thankfully, his chest was rising and falling, letting me know that he was still alive. I grabbed a hold of his shoulder tightly and shook urgently.

"Zack. Zack!" I shouted. Getting no response I whined a little, "Come on, wake up. Zack! …Fuck!"

I looked him over. Besides a few cuts and bruises here and there, he seemed to be all right. However, when I turned my attention to Cloud, I felt my heart shatter.

"Oh, Cloud," I muttered.

Remaining in a crouching position, I rotated myself and moved up a step to reach him. I sat down in front of him. The blond was bleeding badly from a wound in his back. The amount of blood pooling around him meant he'd been there a while.

"Oh, Cloud, oh, Cloud, oh, Cloud," I repeated. I grabbed his left arm gently, but firmly, and leaned closer to him, "Cloud. Cloud, can you hear me?"

I used my left hand to stroke some of the hair from his face and let it rest on his head. He didn't react at all to my voice or touch, and I could feel that he was getting colder from loss of blood. My teeth clenched as I lowered my head towards his. If only I hadn't been forced to fight that damned dragon, I could heal both of them, and everything would have been fine. Instead, I was useless.

It wasn't right. None of it was right. None of it was supposed to have happened, not to _them_. It never occurred to me that Sephiroth would take things as far as he did. Attacking Shin-Ra was one thing; attacking Zack and Cloud was completely different. Different and uncalled for.

Why? Why did he attack them? Why hadn't he attacked _me_? How was I different from Zack and Cloud? Was it because I didn't try to stop him…didn't try to stop him from seeing Mother?

My head jerked up from the floor. I stared at the open doorway leading into Jenova's chamber. There were two separate gashes on the doorway—one from the Buster Sword and one from the Masamune.

"Sephiroth!" I called out. "_Sephiroth!_"

Growling, I pushed myself off the floor, avoiding Cloud and Zack, and ran the rest of the way up the stairs. In my sadness, I'd forgotten Jenova was there; in my anger, I forgot what that meant. I activated my suit, forgetting to keep the helmet at bay in the armlet; and when it wrapped itself around my head and face, a shrill screech, louder than I'd ever heard before, pierced my ears.

The shock of it caused me to stumble to the metal flooring beneath me. I landed flat on my stomach, my chin bouncing painfully against the ground. I screamed, my palms finding their way onto my ears as I tried to block out the noise. But it didn't work. If anything, it only made the sound louder—because the sound wasn't in my ears. It was in my head.

I struggled to keep my eyes open as I curled my legs towards my body, as if the half-fetal position would help. My teeth were clenched so tight it hurt. Lifting my head up slowly, I looked at the tank in the back of the room.

The tank itself was smashed and most of the liquid within had spilled out onto the floor—the creature inside, beheaded. But the images flashing within my mind overlaid on top of what I was seeing. Images of Sephiroth, of Nibelheim, of Shin-Ra, of the blue monster in front of me—before it lost its head—with long, flowing, silver hair and a fancy headpiece announcing her name to the world…and images of Earth.

With the images was whispering. A faint but annoying whispering that I couldn't identify as either male of female—it just _was_. I tried to fight the annoying words, whatever they were, but one particular word slipped through.

_Jump_.

I hissed at the command, eyes narrowing even further as I glared at the headless creature. The voice inside my head had to be Jenova's; it made no sense otherwise. Even without her fucking head and most of her organs floating around in Mako, Jenova was still somehow alive.

"It was you."

My voice came out as a low, guttural growl that sounded like anything other than me. But the pain exploding behind my eyes made me not care. I was angry, and the intense feeling of hate spread throughout my body like wildfire. Even as my mind was being attacked by the monster, I still managed to push myself up onto my hands and knees.

"It was you all along. All of it. He wouldn't have done this if it hadn't been for you. None of this would have happened," I hissed.

_Jump_.

The voice commanded, ignoring my growls.

"I should kill you, you alien bitch." Seething, I slowly made it to my feet, "I should devastate you and spread your remains to the four corners of the earth. Whatever it takes to destroy you."

_Jump. _He_ did. Why don't you? Jump._

My features twitched for a moment before I slowly brought my face away from the body of Jenova. I spotted a portion of the wall that was broken and sparking, a small fire burning on it. My faced relaxed into one if disinterest. Walking slowly over to the railing, I looked over it. Below laid a green pit of Mako. So that's where Sephiroth had gone.

Detached, I spoke, "He cut off your head because he couldn't carry you, and then he jumped—or was he thrown? What does it matter? You're there with him, aren't you? You're there feeding his head full of lies."

Without thinking, my mind having broken minutes ago, I grabbed a hold of the railing and stepped onto it. I somehow managed to balance myself on it as I stared deep into the green, glowing liquid that I once was terrified of.

"Well, two can play that game."

Hearing a gasp from my right side—the sound almost overshadowed by the ringing in my head—I turned to look back at the door. I was greeted with the face of a stunned Turk. I was vaguely aware that the face staring at me belonged to the woman I once knew as 'Serafina.' I smiled crookedly, bowed deeply—mockingly—and straightened back up.

"Ciao," I sang.

And without further word, I leapt from the railing, my arms outstretched as I started a swan dive. I free-fell toward the green liquid. Just before impact, I rotated my body in mid-air and curled into a ball. As my body hit the Mako it gave off a loud _smack!_ My bone-crushing collision with the liquid was the last thing I heard or felt before everything went dark.

The words, _Foolish girl_, echoing in my mind.

**A/N: Can you imagine the gang's faces when they get to Vincent in FFVII? I threw that part in because I like starting chapters light and humorous and then work my way to the drama. Not that they all turn out that way, but most do. And Nibelheim is full of drama. As for the necklace, I really do own it, but I didn't when I first started this fic. So, for the story, it did kind of appear out of nowhere; however, Saan herself has owned it since the beginning. That scene was added simply for plot device. I could have left it out, buuut. I know some of you like Jerry and figured I'd give him and Saan more interaction time. The Flyleaf song mentioned is "Justice and Mercy." Also, CC leaves out the part with Sephiroth talking to Zack; and Zack comes out of the Inn instead of the Mansion. Can we say "Oops"? So, I figured Saan'd just do the FFVII thing and Zack the CC one. :D. And did anybody else feel their heart ache when they met the two black-blobby people (what I call Sephy clones) in the upstairs of that one house? Did anyone realize they were, in fact, the children? Oh, I was so pissed at Hojo. No, I have not broken my leg; I have broken my arm. Song listened to during Jenova scene: Even In Death by Evanescence. Songs listened to during Dragon scene: Last Living Souls by Gorillaz and Nightmare by A7X. Songs listened to during Nibelheim burning: The Coffee Song and No Phone by CAKE... Notice how some don't really make any damn sense. XD**

**Go forth, my children! The Epilogue awaits!**

_**Edit: I made an 86 on my Physics test…however I missed Literature because my car broke down. And then Ronnie and I missed our Jack Daniel's trip. I can't win today.**_


	23. Epilogue

**A/N: And thus we come to the conclusion of the first arc. This chapter, I think, is more humorous than the last two—especially considering the ending of the previous. Song used for this chapter: Worry About You by Ivy. Why? All will be revealed shortly.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I do, however, own this plot, Saan, Jerry, Ronnie, another character mentioned in this chapter, and I am **_**really**_** hungry right now x.x. Oh, and my grandmother's going to have open heart surgery in about 2 hours.**

_**Edited on 4 November 2010 for errors and goofs. And boy were there a lot of them. Ronnie failed epically on this chapter.**_

I felt as if I was floating…but it wasn't really floating. More like…more like I was suspended in the air and all time was frozen around me.

Snapping my eyes open, I let them dart around the room. Only I wasn't in a room. I wasn't anywhere. Everywhere around me was dark. Black. I sighed, the noise deafening in the silence.

"Great. I'm _dead_."

As if this realization sparked something within the ethereal plane, color erupted all around me. The area I was facing became the night sky and, whatever was below me, started to glow with a green light. I was also, quite unexpectedly, dropped to the newly-formed ground.

I gasped when I felt gravity suddenly overtake me, squeaked, and then hit the ground with a breathless, 'Oof!' I could tell from the impact that I wasn't wearing my suit.

"Ow…" I groaned.

Well, that hadn't made much sense. I was dead. I shouldn't have felt pain if I was dead. Unless I was in Hell… Sitting up, I looked around and couldn't find a trace of brimstone or hellfire anywhere. So, I wasn't in Hell. Then why had the ground hurt? Looking down below my legs, I realized I wasn't actually on the ground, per se. It seemed as if I were actually sitting on a giant glass plate and beneath me ran the Lifestream—or what I assumed to be the Lifestream, as I had never seen it before.

None of what was going on made much sense to me. But, I concluded that, just maybe, it shouldn't have made much sense. It _was_ the afterlife, after all. And as I was admiring the pretty colors that floated in the stream below me and the way the stars twinkled in the night sky…the gravity of all that had took place before finally hit me.

My eyes widened.

"Oh, no… I'm dead!" I grabbed my head and stared at the ground, "I can't be dead! I left Ronnie at home for a week and didn't call him because I left my fucking phone at home—" here I paused to briefly wonder if it was ok to swear in the afterlife, "—and I wasn't even supposed to come on this stupid mission so he probably had no idea where the hell I am and—" I gasped, "—Jerry! What about Jerry? I was supposed to make sure he got out all right. And Cloud and Zack! What will happen to them?"

I didn't understand what had gotten me into my situation at first, but then I remembered the screeching noise and the pain. My features contorted with anger. An anger that wasn't as intense as it was back in the Reactor, but it was still…angry.

"And _her_. She's responsible for this mess," I stood up and started to look around. "And she's with Sephiroth! I have to find him and get that bitch away from him."

I paused, blinked, and digested what I had just said. If I were to find Sephiroth, either I would have to be alive, or he would have to be dead. Could someone even find another person in the afterlife on Gaia? How did the afterlife even fucking work?

I let a high-pitched growl resonate in my throat as I realized the hopelessness of it all. I had thrown reason out the window when Jenova got inside my head, forgetting about my friends and what might happen to them, just to jump into a glowing pit of Mako to try and save Sephiroth. Or at least, that's what I had believed at the time. I was starting to doubt myself—wondering if it wasn't all a plan of Jenova's from the get-go. The more I thought about the alien creature, the more I hated it.

I tried to recall my suit. Maybe if I could get it on, the ringing in my head could act like an alien-detector or something. However, the suit never came. Snapping my head down to my right forearm, my mouth opened in disbelief. I brought the limb up to my face to stare at the armlet—or lack thereof.

I snapped, "Oh, sure, you wait until _after_ I'm dead to come off my arm! What kind of piece of shit are you!"

_Now that's not very nice to say about something that saved your life more than once._

The strange, new voice was masculine and, yet, wasn't deep. More than a little creeped out that said voice was behind her, I spun around. My eyes widened as they locked with glowing, yellow ones.

"Oh, now I know I'm dead."

The eyes belonged to Anubis. Not the suit I had worn for over a year, but the actual deity himself. He was completely black, save for his yellow eyes, and was adorned with the usual Egyptian attire…which was to say he wasn't wearing much of anything. In fact, the only thing he was wearing was one of those long skirt-tie things that I really didn't know the name of and, frankly, I didn't care. Anubis had a man's body from the neck down—sans the dog-like claws—and anything that covered down yonder was very welcomed by me. The last thing I wanted to see in the afterlife was a god's junk. That would have made our conversation more than a little awkward…for me, anyway. Anubis probably didn't give a damn.

He was missing the usual headdress seen on Egyptian deities and, instead, had long, flowing hair that stopped just beneath his shoulder blades. The human half of him seemed to get a good work out every now and again. I mused that Anubis probably didn't want his figure going to waste as he did nothing but embalm and weigh things on his scales, and so he made frequent stops at the local spirit gym.

In his hand he carried a staff. I knew the staff held _some _importance in regards to Egyptian mythology, but I couldn't remember the darn thing's name. On his head sat two very jackal-like ears, bigger than a dog's, and his snout was smaller in comparison to other canines'. I pondered if the reason why his voice was so light was because jackals themselves had high-pitched cries. Kind of like coyotes but not as elegant. Though, I wasn't going to tell Anubis that… That would have been rude.

The deity remained where he stood a few feet away from me. He didn't blink; he didn't move; he didn't even breathe! Then again, being a god probably meant one didn't have to. He did, however, speak.

_No. You are on the borders of the Lifestream. In terms that you can understand, you are in limbo. Between life and death. You have not died yet._

"Oh," I nodded my head before shaking it. "That makes a whole helluva lot of difference. And exactly _why_ am I in Limbo? Is it because I killed some clones and now I have to repent or something?"

_Heaven and Hell do not exist in this world; only in your mind_.

"Right. And do you exist, Anubis? Or are you just in my mind, too?"

Anubis didn't reply. Instead, his canine lips parted to reveal a set of stunning, white teeth. The image itself was creepy as hell, but I figured he was trying to smile. And since he was smiling, I was probably right…on some level.

I sighed and rubbed my eyebrows, "This is getting confusing. Since you're a figment of my imagination—"

I stopped when I saw Anubis' eyes sparkle as the smile remained. I frowned.

"You're not a figment of my imagination?"

His grin turned into a small smile.

I shook my head, "Then what _are_ _you_?"

_One could compare me to the Summons of this world. I am not the god you think I am, and I am not merely a 'figment' of your imagination. For now, I merely am._

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Once again, the afterlife…Limbo…wherever the hell I was, made no sense. Though, since I wasn't dead, that did explain why I felt pain upon colliding with the see-through ground Anubis and I were standing on.

"Look," I said, holding up my hand, "I'm not even going to try and understand what you said; I just need you to get me out of here. Since you said I'm not dead yet, I'd like to be alive again."

_Why?_

I blinked in shock, "Because…? I have things I gotta do; people I gotta take care of. Granted, I wasn't thinking about them when I jumped into the giant Mako pit of Death, but I don't think I was in my right mind when I did that." I frowned and looked down, "I'd like to help Sephiroth, I really would, but…he's just one person and I'm not even sure I _can_ help him. But, Ronnie, Jerry, Cloud, and Zack…I know they're still alive, and I know I can help them." I chuckled dryly, "As Sephiroth said, I know it sounds cold, but I don't have time to look for him. I have to get back."

_Why?_

I snapped my head back up to look at the not-quite-deity. What did he mean 'why'? Hadn't I just told him why I needed to be alive instead of dead? Anubis must have caught my look of confusion for he reworded his question.

_Why should I help you?_

I frowned. I wanted to shoot back with, 'Because I said so!' but I knew that wasn't what Anubis wanted to hear. What _did_ he want to hear? I didn't know. How could I know? _I_ wasn't omnipotent. I cupped my chin with my forefinger and thumb as I thought.

Anubis wasn't a god in this world. He wasn't a figment of my imagination either. He was like a Summon. Sort of. He simply was. Well, what did Summons do? To my knowledge, one called forth a creature of terrible power and decimated his/her foes with it. Summons listened to their owners.

I frowned. Anubis wasn't doing a very good job of listening, then. My hand slowly lowered from my chin as I thought that maybe Anubis wasn't so much of a Summon, but a Djinn. Maybe he was like the character from _Kingdom Hospital_.

"Heh." I looked at him, "You do me a solid, I do you a solid. That's how it works?"

Anubis grinned again, and this time, he started to walk towards me. His movements were slow and deliberate. He was in no hurry to get anywhere.

_Something like that. Yes._

I watched him approach, a little on guard, "And what exactly do you want me to do for you, Anubis? As long as it's not anything that'll hurt me or my friends, I'll try my best to do whatever it is you want."

Anubis' grin remained on his face as he finally reached me. He was extremely tall, his ears making him even taller than Sephiroth.

_I want you to correct your mistake. However, I must caution you. If you do not, I will be forced to correct it for you. I do not take failure lightly._

I frowned, "And my mistake would be?"

Anubis' grin became a small smile again.

_You already know._

Without warning, the jackal-headed man snatched my right forearm, pulling it up from my side roughly. I was spooked by his sudden movements, wondering what he was trying to do as his clawed hand tightened around my arm.

The green glow from the Lifestream intensified, causing me to squint. Suddenly, the undulating light was shooting up towards us. I cried out, pulling against Anubis' grip—the creature's hand never loosened its hold. I watched in fear as the green tendrils started to snake their way over my legs and work their way up my body. It felt as if they were burning me.

Panicking, I snapped my face up to stare into Anubis' glowing, yellow eyes. He merely stared back, small smile still on his lips, as the Lifestream wrapped around my arms. When it touched his hand, a small wisp of red joined the green.

His eyes were the last things I saw before the green light enveloped me completely, silencing the scream that never made it past my throat.

_To Be Continued in:_

_To Gaia, From Earth: Hello Again_

**A/N: And this is where I sit back and smirk as I imagine all your reactions to this giant cliffhanger. Worry About You is the name of the theme song for **_**Kingdom Hospital**_** which has a giant anteater named Antubis—who is, in fact, Anubis. Kudos to those who caught that. If you haven't seen that series, I recommend it. It was done by Stephen King.**

**And here is your gift: http:/ www. youtube. com/ watch?v=zI-sLeg17pE **_**(Edit: Those who read the edited version of Chapter 1 know what this is.)**_

**Remove the spaces, as usual. The ending theme is supposed to be the perspective of Saan to Sephiroth. Have fun~!**

_**Edit: And cut! –collapses- Haaate reading Film Studies. 39 pages should not take me almost three hours.**_


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